I think your perspective on Edition vs W is colored by the simple fact that US based Ws are the oldest and were mostly conversions, and were the true pioneers in creating the lifestyle space. They weren’t originally expected to compete in the luxury space, so the older ones in the USA reflected that—and despite many refurbishments to help assuage that new luxury demand, many still reflect that challenge. Starwood (and everyone else) were quite surprised to discover that the W market shifted into the luxury space! Newer W hotel builds (and conversions) were absolutely created to compete in that higher ADR/price point luxury space. Edition was Marriott’s attempt to clone the success of W in the Marriott portfolio before anyone ever imagined a Marriott-Starwood merge. Edition has so few hotels that comparing ADRs with W is pretty pointless. W has so many new builds in Asia, where ADRs are always less, that it reinforces your insinuation without actually backing up that Ws are now built to comparable standard as Editions.

I think you’ll find that the Editions are not much different more or less than the newer Ws. The W is more brand standardized, and the Edition has a bit more local character, true...but otherwise they ring true from exactly the same basic lifestyle “edgy” formula. W offers free breakfast and Edition doesn’t. I forecast that eventually Edition will have to offer free breakfast as it loses share to W.

As a gay man in my 40s who loves Deco and more modern design, it should say something that I was still blown away by our recent stay at the St Regis NYC—and gladly would stay there again. The StR may seem UES but it isn’t all that—and it is actually Midtown! Its incredible service was welcoming to all, even we who abhor the formality that other guests exude and might often more appreciate.

In NYC, no, the JW doesn’t even come close. In some other cities, JW is better relative to the competition. JW is always going to be the ugly stepchild of the Marriott luxury portfolio, as even W easily outperforms JW on ADR worldwide. JW is the staid, affordable luxury option for those who like it more bland and less pricey. I call it luxury lite.

My guess—and just a guess—is that it is in the management contracts for all hotels of that brand, guaranteeing that element as part of the brand standard. I also, like you, doubt that any one owner would write a clause to prohibit an element like that. No breakfast was a brand standard for both Edition and RC prior to the merge, so it isn’t unlikely that the standard might have been part of the contract details for those brands.

I am sure that—within whatever contract boundaries already might exist for such standards—Marriott could in the future adjust the brand standards. It still might require agreement with owners, as displeased owners can try to get out of management contracts and new and potential owners might not be incentivized to use Ritz Carlton management.

That being said, I doubt that Ritz Carlton will allow a regular Platinum benefit for free breakfast that might cannibalize the Club Level revenue. It is possible in (quite some) time that the top tier (if any) Ambassador PlatPremier guests might gain a breakfast benefit at RC—but that looks doubtful for the time being.

If StR and LuxColl cannibalize too much business from RC and the numbers suggest the breakfast benefit is the chief culprit, then I imagine RC would reconsider the breakfast benefit. Until then, I doubt it!

I don’t think RC ever will make Club Level an elite benefit. It’s likely too big a revenue stream for the brand.

If W (or other brands) cannibalizes too much business from Edition and the numbers suggest the breakfast benefit were the chief culprit, then I imagine Edition would reconsider the breakfast benefit. On this, I actually think there is a chance this may happen in the not too distant future.