Le Meridien Unveils its Newest Hotels in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, and Celebrates the Brand's Growth in Asia Pacific and the Transformation into a Leading-edge Lifestyle Brand
BANGKOK, April 8 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- On April 2, 2009, Le Meridien officially celebrates the opening of the new Le Meridien Bangkok, Le Meridien Chiang Mai and Le Meridien Chiang Rai with the brand's signature event, FIRST NIGHT BANGKOK "Destination Asia, An Active Discovery." As part of tonight's event, Le Meridien will unveil the signature Le Meridien Arrival Experience at Le Meridien hotels in Asia Pacific.
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(Logo: http://www.prnasia.com/sa/200807290935.jpg )
"Le Meridien is committed to transforming the functional and transactional driven hotel experience into an emotional connection with our guests, delivering a new perspective in a relevant way in order to attract a new, aspirational audience -- the creative minds," said Eva Ziegler, Global Brand Leader, Le Meridien and W Hotels Worldwide. "We are proud to unveil Le Meridien's transformation through Le Meridien Bangkok. The curated approach of Le Meridien's guest experience through Jerome Sans, Le Meridien's Cultural Curator, and the LM100 family lead to very inspiring solutions that can be experienced at Le Meridien hotels in Thailand and across Asia Pacific."
Proprietary customer research shows that the first 10 minutes define the guests' entire experience and establish their mindset. Le Meridien's Arrival Experience was designed to reset the guest's mind upon arrival, leaving the outside world behind for the world of Le Meridien.
"Going through the hotel entrances with the artwork of six very different emerging artists, installed in diverse locations across the globe, is a unique experience. It is a project that takes permanent contemporary art pieces to various unexpected locations and makes art accessible to a wide audience," said Jerome Sans, Cultural Curator for Le Meridien. "I am sure that Le Meridien guests will be stimulated by the discovery of these Transitional Portals around the globe."
Examples of Transitional Portals can be found at all Le Meridien hotels in Asia Pacific, created by six international LM100(TM) artists including Ralph Gibson, Hisham Bharoocha, Joan Fontcuberta, Youssef Nabil, Younes Rahmouna and An Xiaotong. Guests attending tonight's event will have the opportunity to discover the Transitional Portal artwork located at Le Meridien's many other hotels in Asia Pacific.
As part of the unique Arrival Experience, the brand has created UNLOCK ART providing guests with unique access to artistic cultural centers through artist-designed key cards that offer guests complimentary admission to local cultural experiences.
The exclusive keycards at Le Meridien Bangkok have been created by artist Michael Lin, and provide access to the Thailand Creative & Design Center (TCDC), one of Asia's largest cultural and design institutions. Using his signature floral motifs, Lin designed the first set of UNLOCK ART keycards. As Le Meridien Bangkok guests use these cards to open doors and access experiences at TCDC, the keycards will become works of art in and of themselves.
The UNLOCK ART program at Le Meridien Chiang Mai will give guests complimentary access to the Umbrella Making Centre, Borsang. Borsang is a village in San Kamphaeng district and is known for its hand-painted parasols made from mulberry paper (Sa paper) and silk. Upon presentation of Unlock Art keycard to the Centre, guests get to express themselves by painting their own designs for the umbrellas at the workshop.
For Le Meridien Chiang Rai Resort, the UNLOCK ART program provides guests with access to the Mae Fah Luang Art and Cultural Park. Mae Fah Luang Art and Cultural Park houses the royal collection of Lanna art, the finest collection of religious and secular art and artifacts in Thailand.
After Le Meridien was bought by Starwood in November 2005, the brand has upgraded its portfolio significantly through a range of renovations and currently holds has 16 hotels in the Asia Pacific Region, located in Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Caledonia, Thailand and Vanuatu. Le Meridien will open six new hotels in the region by 2011, including three hotels in China, two hotels in India and one hotel in Taiwan.
For more information, please visit http://www.lemeridien.com . For more information on Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc., please visit http://www.starwoodpressclub.com .
About Le Meridien:
Le Meridien, the French-born hotel brand currently represented by 105 properties in 50 countries, was acquired by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) in November 2005. Since then, Le Meridien has gone through a brand revitalization, which included appointing a full-time Cultural Curator -- French arts-provocateur Jerome Sans -- and transforming numerous guest touch points, thus brining unique and interactive experiences to its guests. With close to 80 of its properties located in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Le Meridien provides a strong international complement to Starwood's primarily North American holdings. Plans call for dynamic expansion of Le Meridien hotels and resorts within the next five years, concentrating in the U.S., Latin America, and Asia-Pacific, including destinations such as India, Thailand and China. Le Meridien recently opened new hotels in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Shimei Bay (China), will open in Dallas and Philadelphia in the coming months, and has recently signed new hotel deals in Taipei, Xiamen, Chongqing Nan'an, and Qingdao (China). For more information, please visit http://www.lemeridien.com .
