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Tina Edmundson aims to make style and luxury more synonymous with the Marriott name .
by JEff WEinSTEin , EdiTOr in cHiEf
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Marriott International continues to evolve away from its perceived very traditional roots and works with the likes of Ian Schrager and Ikea to create lifestyle brands , a decision was made recently to create an internal luxury and lifestyle division that can take advantage of synergies and further shift its focus to serve the next generation of global travelers .
Tina Edmundson , who joined Marriott in 2008 to provide strategic oversight and operational direction for lifestyle brands ranging from Renaissance to Edition — and who previously spent several years with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and helped establish its W brand and reposition St . Regis — is now charged with elevating the presence of
Marriott ’ s luxury and lifestyle portfolio . That portfolio — Edition , Autograph Collection , Renaissance , Moxy , The Ritz-Carlton , Ritz-Carlton Reserve , JW Marriott and Bulgari Hotels — has close to 450 hotels with a pipeline of 200 more reflecting more than US $ 15 billion of investment . About 75 of those projects should be complete in the next two years , representing US $ 6 billion of investment .
For Edmundson , the growing strength of this group also means making sure Marriott understands where each brand is in its life cycle and that they have the support to stay distinctive , relevant and deliver on the brand promise .
As she prepared for the opening of a very important Edition hotel in Miami Beach to cement the brand in North
America , HOTELS spoke to Edmundson about her views on the luxury and lifestyle segments , where she looks for inspiration , social media , HR and “ ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen .” HOTELS : What was your initial charge in your current position ?
Tina Edmundson : We have close to 450 hotels in the luxury and lifestyle space and recently announced an additional 200 over the next several years . That makes Marriott quite prominent in the luxury and lifestyle world , and I ’ m not sure if we are known for that or get the credit in terms of the size , depth and breadth of the luxury lifestyle portfolio .
We also split these brands into stacks to make sure they get the attention they deserve — both from a resource
www . hotelsmag . com September 2014 HOTELS 49