Marriott and Ian Schrager to take Edition brand to Iceland with design by Mannvit and T.ark architects
Hotel giant Marriott International is to expand its partnership with hotel pioneer Ian Schrager with the opening of the group’s first hotel in Iceland.
To be operated under the luxury lifestyle brand Edition, the 250-bedroom property in the capital Reykjavik will be located on the city's waterfront adjacent to Harpa – the country’s premier concert hall.
Engineering firm Mannvit and T.ark architects have been contracted for the engineering, design and construction management of the new-build property.
The design challenge is immense, as the Harpa centre – designed by Henning Larsen Architects in co-operation with Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson – won the Mies van der Rohe Award in 2013 and is a stunning and distinctive building.
Harpa has been alone on the waterfront, surrounded by open space since it was built. The adjacent site where the hotel will be located lay dormant throughout the financial crisis following the failure of a previous hotel scheme in 2008. The development has been the subject of years of intensive urban planning, led by the city of Reykjavik.
The Reykjavik Edition will be financed by property developer Carpenter & Company, a major Icelandic bank and local equity investors.
Both Icelandic pension funds are only allowed to invest in Iceland, so there is huge pressure to fund capital projects.
A booming tourism market is forcing capital into tourism related projects.
Ian Schrager, said: “I’m thrilled to continue the global expansion of the new Edition lifestyle brand with this incredibly exciting project in Reykjavik. The city is emerging as a fascinating cultural hub, making it the perfect location for an Edition.”
As dictated by the brand’s ethos, Reykjavik Edition's design will differ from other Edition properties and will offer “individuality, authenticity, originality – reflecting the best of the cultural and social milieu of its location and of the time”.
Richard Friedman, president and CEO of Boston-based Carpenter & Company, which will also own the property, said: “The location of this hotel couldn’t be more spectacular – with the hotel working in conjunction with the city’s well known Harpa centre and its location steps away from the vibrant downtown of Reykjavik.”
The revealing of the Reykjavik project follows an announcement earlier this month of plans to launch an Edition hotel in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Scheduled to open in 2018, the new hotel will follow the 2016 opening of Edition Abu Dhabi.
Future Edition hotels are also planned for Sanya, China (2016), Bangkok (2016), Times Square (2018), West Hollywood (2018), Wuhan, China (2019), and Bali, Indonesia (2019).
There are currently four Editions open and operating – in New York, London, Miami and Istanbul.
Marriott and Schrager launched the Edition brand in 2008.
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