Under Ian Schrager’s direction, the now-closed 12 story Seville Hotel in Miami Beach would become a luxury Marriott boutique property.

Ian Schrager, the celebrity hotelier who invigorated South Beach with his launch of the Delano Hotel 15 years ago, is coming back to the beach.

Through a partnership with Marriott, Schrager is set to turn the shuttered 12-story Seville Beach Hotel into a boutique property under the new Edition brand.

The new venture, confirmed Thursday by Marriott, is just the second announced U.S. location under the new brand. The first is scheduled to open this fall in Honolulu (see stylehotelsweb blog June 9, 2010)

Marriott spokesman John Wolf said the South Florida hotel, which sits on nearly three acres of beachfront property at 2901 Collins Ave., is expected to open in three years after significant renovations.

“Edition has tremendous growth potential and this hotel will be a flagship to showcase the brand,” said Marriott International CFO Carl Berquist in a conference call with investors.

Thursday’s announcement adds a new whiff of hip to the Beach scene, still basking in the glow of basketball star LeBron James’ decision last week to call the area home. And it comes at a time when few comparable projects are on the horizon.

Schrager left Miami Beach a few years ago with the sale of his interest in the Morgans Hotel Group.

In recent years, Schrager has focused on luxury residences and a hotel in New York City and on the creating the Edition brand, aimed at sophisticated travelers.

His return to the beach is being heralded as a renewal after a tough patch for South Beach hotels, with several high-profile properties stressed by the economy.

“The Delano has the vibe or whatever . . . and Schrager was the marketing genius behind it,” said Scott Brush, an independent hotel consultant based in Miami-Dade. “With him involved with this, I don’t think there’s any way that it won’t be successful.”

Some of Miami Beach’s hottest hotels, the W and the Gansevoort, are several blocks south of the Seville; the Fontainebleau Resort lies 15 blocks north. The action between is subdued.

“For locals, this was an area that you avoided,” said Peter Zalewski, a principal at real estate consultancy Condo Vultures. “Or if you drove through it, you went really fast.”

He wondered how easy it would be to translate a massive older resort into “boutique chicness,” but called Marriott a pioneer for moving into the area.

“This is a tremendous economic boost,” he said. “It’s going to fill in the gap between south of Fifth and the Fontainebleau. This is the piece that’s necessary to bridge.”

The 278,547-square-foot Seville, built in 1955, previously attempted a comeback. In 2005, developers announced plans to turn it into a condo and fractional ownership complex with the Ritz-Carlton name, despite three Ritz-Carlton properties already in the area. Marriott owns the Ritz-Carlton brand.

Part of the old property would have been knocked down to make room for two 21-story towers, but the project couldn’t get off the ground as lenders balked in an unfriendly credit market.

Marriott acquired the property recently in a $57.5 million short sale from owner 2901 Beach Ventures, a partnership between Lionstone Group — led by Alfredo Lowenstein — and Fortune International Management, records show. That’s nearly $10 million less than a foreclosure lawsuit that had been filed on the property, which has since been dismissed.

Marriott does not expect to be the property’s long-term owner, Berquist said Thursday in a conference call for investors.

Marriott owns few properties that bear its name, instead franchising or managing hotels for owners under long-term contracts.

Marriott’s portfolio includes the luxury brand Ritz-Carlton, the upscale JW Marriott, “quality” brands including Marriott and Renaissance and moderate hotels Courtyard by Marriott and Fairfield Inn by Marriott. In addition to Edition, it also recently created the Autograph Collection, currently featuring 10 hotels with an individualistic ambience.

Edition seeks to set itself apart by creating individualized hotels in busy markets that reflect the cultures of their surroundings with an emphasis on sophistication and service. Other planned Edition locations include Mexico City, Bangkok, Istanbul and Barcelona.

Schrager and Marriott announced the partnership three years ago. Initially, plans called for the South Beach Marriott at 161 Ocean Dr. to become an Edition, but that failed to materialize as the recession hit.

“We continue to explore other opportunities in the market, including the South Beach Marriott, but that project has been delayed due to market and other conditions,” Marriott spokesman John Wolf said.

Brush said he expects success from the hotel once it opens in a few years.

“It’ll be well into an economic recovery and there is very little opportunity for additional supply out on the beach,” he said.

Source: Miami Herald.

First properties to premier in Waikiki Beach and Istanbul

NEW YORK — EDITION Hotels marks the next chapter in the lifestyle hotel story. The new Brand was conceived by Ian Schrager in a partnership with Marriott International. It will combine the personal, intimate, individualized and unique lodging experience that Ian Schrager is known for, with the global reach, operational expertise and scale of Marriott. This delicate balancing act will encompass, for the very first time, not only great design and true innovation, but also great personal, friendly, modern service as well as outstanding, one-of-a-kind food, beverage and entertainment offerings…”all under one roof.”

Each highly stylized hotel will function as a “home away from home” for leisure and business travelers. In addition, each hotel will cater to the modern day business traveler by offering functional, technologically sophisticated working environments that provide the comfort and ease of actually conducting business in an “office away from the office.”

The heightened experience, authenticity and originality that Ian Schrager brings to this new Brand coupled with the global reach of Marriott will result in a truly distinct product that sets itself apart from anything else currently in the marketplace. It is nothing less than an attempt to push the boundaries, break new ground and take the hotel industry to a whole new level. EDITION will be completely new, different and original offering an experience never before seen in the industry. It will be the first truly global branded lifestyle hotel on a large scale, setting the standard for decades to come.

EDITION will debut in Waikiki Beach October 2010 and will also open a property in Istanbul later this year. Planned openings are also scheduled in 24-hour international gateway cities such as Mexico City, Barcelona, Bangkok, and several other cities in various stages of development.

EDITION responds to new emerging cultural and social imperatives. The new Brand will reflect these changing lifestyles and cater to a vast underserved market of guests expecting and in turn demanding a unique experience, not merely a place to sleep. It is an evolutionary response to the desire for a sophisticated hotel experience. This reinvented and rethought experience will now, for the first time ever, be widely accessible and available in key lodging destinations across the globe and to everybody around the world who wants it.

EDITION is an unexpected, refreshing collection of individualized, customized, one-of-a-kind hotels that is the antithesis of an institutional “hotel chain” and a true paradigm shift in the industry. Each hotel with its rare individuality, authenticity, originality and unique ethos will reflect the best of the cultural and social milieu of its location and of the time. Although all of the hotels will look completely different from each other, the Brand’s unifying aesthetic will be in its approach and attitude to the modern lifestyle rather than its appearance. As a result, design and architecture is derived from the scale, location and feel of the individual properties rather than from contrived decorative cliches or unnecessary gestures. The Brand will be about an attitude and the way it makes you feel rather than the way it looks. Sophisticated public spaces, finishes, design and details will serve the experience, not drive it.

“Ian Schrager’s concepts have revolutionized both nightlife and hospitality. Time and time again he succeeds in making people feel as if they are part of something new, unique and special, always eliciting an emotional and visceral connection to the experiences he creates. His concepts have been and continue to be widely imitated around the world,” says Bill Marriott, Chairman and CEO, Marriott International.

For EDITION, Schrager brings his original vision, passion and commitment to excellence to create something truly special in collaboration with Marriott. “People do not want something derivative. They want the real thing and this is the whole idea behind EDITION,” says Schrager. The role of Mr. Schrager is to act as a creative consultant and lend his vision for concept, design and marketing. His ground-breaking concepts give the Brand a true competitive edge, product distinction and a huge advantage over what is currently offered. However, the ultimate decisions on design, concept and operations are made by the property owners, developers and Marriott.

EDITION will showcase the best dining and entertainment options, services, amenities and offerings for guests and locals in the know. The Waikiki EDITION, designed by Yabu/Pushelberg, will offer a restaurant by world-renowned chef, Morimoto; the exclusive Crazybox nightclub; a unique Sunrise Pool with lushly landscaped gardens by Deborah Nevins; an exclusive Private Sunset Beach with its own lagoon and imported sand from the neighboring Hawaiian islands, providing the same experience as actually lying on a beach; an intimate Lobby Bar hidden behind a secret passage as if tucked away in a castle; a Bar at the Sunrise Pool and Bar at the Private Sunset Beach both under the sun and stars with spectacular views of the Harbor and Pacific Ocean; custom and individually designed Surf and Bikini Boot Camps, the first of their kind, for the ultimate in physical fitness, dramatic weight loss and loss of inches together with custom vegetarian and organic spa menus. This together with a full service spa will offer guests the unique opportunity to actually go on vacation and come home looking better, feeling healthier and pounds lighter!; the largest luxury ballroom on Oahu for weddings and special events; an outdoor movie theatre under the stars, akin to a drive-in theater without the cars, offering first run movies, video and art installations; EDITION retail shop, and much more. Once entering this Urban Resort with its own unique, separate intense reality that offers the best of Waikiki, there will be no need to leave the hotel for anything including dining, relaxing or entertainment.

Opening later this year, The Istanbul EDITION, designed by Gabellini/Sheppard, will offer 77 oversized guest rooms and suites with Rosewood or Soaped Oak walls, ceilings and floors, each like a unique and precious wood jewel box; the finest custom materials, exotic finishes and fabrics in the world; silk area rugs; marble guest bathrooms with floor to ceiling glass enclosed rain showers; world-renowned Cipriani Restaurant; a double height ceiling lobby with gold and silver leaf mosaic detailing and travertine floor and walls; private check-in; a Lobby Bar with private garden terrace; exclusive private event space; Penthouse floor Ballroom; a private club in the sky; a 2,400 square foot one-of-a-kind Penthouse with custom fabrics, furniture and exotic finishes throughout; 20,000 square foot spa by ESPA; high-end, luxury retail boutiques; a private drawing room with honesty bar and screening room for first run movies and private screenings. The Istanbul EDITION will be the picture perfect cultural mix of East meets West.