The reaction has been very positive.  There's a lot of buzz around it.  A lot may not understand the significance of the name.  When it comes to names, of course, everyone has an opinion.  Let me give you mine:

Boutique hotels are unique because each one is different from the next - no two are exactly the same.  Each hotel has its own look and feel, and for Edition that means each hotel will reflect on the city and location where it is located.  So our South Beach edition will be the South Beach Edition.  The Paris hotel will be the Paris Edition and so on.

All this talk got me thinking about our brands we've named over the past few decades.  I already told you how Fairfield Inn got its name - after our family farm.  It's a special name to me because it reminds me of family and the feelings of comfort and home when I'm at our farm.

Courtyard, our largest brand, is another interesting story.  It started as the internal code name we used for the project.  We designed those original hotels around a landscaped courtyard.  Even though we were tossing around other ideas for the official name, that Courtyard name stuck.  Twenty-five years later, Courtyard is one of the most recognizable brand names in lodging.

These names were created to emphasize specific features of the brand and to evoke certain feelings.  I really think Ian Schrager and Marriott have captured the spirit and the purpose of our new boutique brand with the name Edition.

When people think of a business travel hotel, they think of Courtyard.  Some day Edition will evoke the same good feeling for its customer segment.

I'm Bill Marriott and thanks for helping me keep Marriott on the move.

Playing the Name Game