With the debut of three new hotels in China - Qingdao, Chongqing and Xiamen
SHANGHAI, China, Dec. 16 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts recently announced the opening of Le Meridien Qingdao on November 27, 2009 and Le Meridien Chongqing on December 11, 2009 in China. To continue the brand expansion in the region, Le Meridien Xiamen will debut in January 2010. All three hotels provide creative, open-minded and forward-thinking travelers with a culturally enriching experience.
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"We are proud to announce the opening of Le Meridien Qingdao and Le Meridien Chongqing in the stunning key cities in China," said Qian Jin, Senior Vice President of Operations for Starwood Hotels & Resorts, China and Taiwan. "In addition to Chongqing and Qingdao, Xiamen is famous for great landscape and rich cultural offerings. These locations are a great fit with Le Meridien brand and these new hotels highlight the significant development of the brand in China."
All Le Meridien hotels feature the award winning Le Meridien signature Arrival Experience for guests. This curated experience commences from the moment guests arrive at the hotel until they reach their guest rooms. The arrival experience includes the Transitional Portal, which is a visual and audio "wall" of sound and art that will engulf each guest; Sensory Experience illustrated through Le Meridien signature scent, sound and use of light; Unlock Art program that includes an artist designed key card that offers access to the guest room and to Le Meridien affiliated art organizations; and the Elevated Experience, which transforms riding an elevator into an "elevating experience" through video and sound.
Le Meridien currently operates 26 hotels in Asia Pacific and 6 hotels and resorts in China and Taiwan including Le Meridien Chongqing, Le Meridien Qingdao, Le Royal Meridien Shanghai, Le Meridien Sheshan Shanghai, Le Meridien Shimei Bay Beach Resort and Le Meridien Cyberport, Hong Kong. By 2012, the brand would have opened five new hotels in China and Taiwan including: Le Meridien Xiamen, Le Meridien Xian and Le Meridien Taipei.
Le Meridien Qingdao
Being the first Starwood hotel in Qingdao, Le Meridien Qingdao is ideally located in the new Central Business District of Qingdao. It is within close proximity to the Qindao City Government, a 10 minutes drive to the current business district of Qingdao and Taidong business district. It is also easily accessible to scenic spots such as Wusi Square, Beer Street and other tourist attractions in Qingdao. Owned by Dalian Wanda Group, the hotel is part of the Wanda Plaza hosting department store, retail shops, supermarket, cinema, restaurants, offices and private apartments. Only a few minutes away from other business, entertainment and shopping area, the hotel is also in close proximity to sightseeing landmarks such as Beer Street, the Olympic Sailing Center and beaches.
Le Meridien Qingdao has a chic design featuring a luxurious decor, ambient lighting, mood music and massive crystal chandeliers. The hotel features 348 luxurious rooms and suites, all with a space of a minimum of 40 square meters, as well as three Le Meridien signature restaurants and one lounge. Other state of the art meeting facilities include a 1,228-square meter pillarless Ballroom and seven meeting venues perfect for high profile conferences, meetings and events.
Le Meridien Chongqing
Le Meridien Chongqing is the first international five star hotel to open in Nan'an district of Chongqing city. Owned by Wanda Group, Le Meridien Chongqing, Nan'an is situated in Nanping district on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and within a 15-minutes' walk to the new Chongqing Convention & Exhibition Centre and 10-minutes drive away from the Jie Fang Bei, a central business district area of Chongqing. The new hotel is ideally housed within Chongqing's newest residential, shopping and entertainment destination Wanda Plaza, which is in the Nan'an Nanping Business District.
Le Meridien Chongqing offers some of the finest facilities in Chongqing with 319 refined guest rooms and suites which showcase views of vibrant Chongqing city, four restaurants with local, regional and international dishes imaginatively prepared by chefs as well as the Lobby Lounge bar, with its signature cocktails, providing an inviting respite from a demanding sightseeing or business schedule. The hotel features 9 separate meeting or function rooms and 1,694 square meters of sophisticated space, supported by a full service Business Centre.
Le Meridien Xiamen
To debut in January 2010, Le Meridien Xiamen will be the first international hotel located on the city mountain park of Xiamen -- one of China's cleanest and most beautiful seaport cities on the south-eastern coast of Fujian Province. Owned by Xiamen FULONG Sports Development Co., Ltd., the new hotel is just 15 minutes from the town center in Xiamen and Xiamen International Airport. Nestled on the slope of Xianyue Hill and surrounded by lush forest and spectacular natural views, the hotel features 348 refined guest rooms including 12 villa suites, all with private balconies overlooking either the courtyard or the mountain.
Le Meridien Xiamen offers personalized service, modern design and limitless opportunities for discovery. Two restaurants and a bar allow guests to explore innovative pairings of flavors and aromas. For a stimulating meeting, conference, or function, the hotel features 10 meeting rooms with over 2,000 square meters of meeting space including a 842-square meter and 10-meter high pillarless Grand Ballroom with natural daylight. Guests will also enjoy state-of-the-art facilities including fitness center, indoor heated swimming pool, Spa, jogging & hiking trail along the mountain park of Xianyue. Le Meridien Xiamen is the only international hotel in the area that offers tennis courts on a hill.
For more information about Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts, visit: http://www.lemeridien.com
About Le Meridien
Le Meridien, the French-born hotel brand currently represented by 108 properties in more than 50 countries, was acquired by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) in November 2005. Since then, Le Meridien has gone through a brand re-launch, which included appointing a full-time cultural curator -- French arts-provocateur Jerome Sans -- and transforming numerous guest touch points, thus bringing 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 brand 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 Hotels recently opened new hotels in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Shimei Bay, Qingdao (China), Dallas and will open in Philadelphia and Panama City in the coming months, and has signed new hotel deals in Taipei, Xiamen and Chongqing Nan'an (China). For more information, please visit http://www.lemeridien.com .
(Note: This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities regulations. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or events and involve risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated at the time the forward-looking statements are made. These risks and uncertainties are presented in detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although we believe the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance that our expectations will be attained or that results and events will not materially differ. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.)
