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Le Mèridien Hotel group announces £850m investment
programme
by a staff reporter
Newly independent luxury hotel group, Le Mèridien Hotel
Group, has announced a widespread £850m global investment
programme designed to dramatically upgrade its facilities and
catapult the brand to the top of the hotel industry rankings
in three years.
At the heart of the renovation programme is the introduction
of a dramatically different style of hotel bedroom, the Art
& Tech room, designed to offer today’s increasingly
sophisticated traveller the ultimate in innovative luxury. With
the more discerning frequent traveller moving to so-called “boutique
hotels” in the last three years, Le Mèridien is
the first international hotel brand to take these hotels on
head-to-head by
combining individual style and service with a global portfolio
of luxury properties.
Speaking to The Malta Business Weekly, the general manager of
the Mèridien Phoenicia in Floriana, Ben Sington, said
it was still early to see how the programme will be administered,
adding that the availability of the Art & Tech rooms is
being city-led.
“It is still early to see what will happen, however on
our part we have already invested heavily over the past year
to renovate all the hotel’s rooms,” Mr Sington said.
New chief executive of Le Mèri-dien, Juergen Bartels,
said at the launch yesterday: “The growth of boutique hotels
represents, in effect, the biggest-ever research and development
programme in our industry and their style and innovation now
attracts more discerning travellers than ever before. As a result,
Le Mèridien has embarked on a three-year programme designed
to offer the demanding travellers of today and tomorrow an experience
never seen before in a global luxury hotel group – individual,
innovative, stylish luxury.”
The Art & Tech room, together with a totally new approach
to individual customer service, will help drive Le Mèridien
to the top of the hotel league tables – measured by occupancy,
average room rate, GOP and quality – by 2004. The Art &
Tech room concept is underpinned by the use of the latest technology
and meticulous detailing. A 42-inch plasma screen TV, electrically
controlled bed where guests can raise and lower back, knees,
head and feet and the latest in shower technology providing
guests with the ultimate in luxury.
The new Art & Tech room will feature in the majority of
Le Mèridien hotels and there are currently plans for
5,000 rooms to be renovated around the world. Some hotels will
become all Art & Tech room properties, whereas other more
traditional hotels, such as The Ritz in Madrid, may include
an Art & Tech annex. The Grosvenor House, Le Meridien Picadilly,
Le Meridien Waldorf and the newly acquired Russell Hotel in
London have all opened Art and Tech rooms. The first all Art
& Tech room hotel will open next year at The Cumberland
Hotel in central London. Le Mèridien has already introduced
a wide-spread training initiative designed to provide today’s
traveller with a more personal and stylish
service from its staff.
Since taking on the role of chief executive of Le Mèridien,
Mr Bartels has also launched a “treasure hunt” initiative
designed to make maximum use of all properties around the world.
As a result, many meeting rooms will be turned into new bedrooms
and inefficient storage and dead-space will become meeting rooms.
In all, Mr Bartels has uncovered capacity for an additional
1,600 bedrooms and thousands of square feet of meeting and banqueting
space, which will be built over the next two years, across the
Le Mèridien group.
“Every single aspect of the Le Mèridien experience
is being redefined to give our guests what they want, in the
way they want it, and with style. Across the globe our aim at
Le Mèridien is to become a leading group of stylish hotels
offering the very latest in modern luxury – a combination
of historical buildings with modern design, individuality, comfort
and respect for local culture,” concluded Mr Bartels.
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