After a decade of unstable ownership and a lack of brand clarity in the marketplace, Le Méridien is poised to not only recapture but to exceed the allure and infinite promise of its early days in 1970’s Paris with the support of new owner Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.. Since its acquisition by the hotel giant in November 2005, Le Méridien’s financial performance has exceeded all forecasts and the brand is set to substantially grow its footprint worldwide. In addition, Starwood, well known for its innovations and branding prowess, has developed a unique brand positioning that capitalises on Le Méridien’s heritage and distinguishes it from competitors in the upper upscale hotel arena. Over the next few months, Le Méridien will reveal a series of brand defining initiatives, partnerships and artistic events that signal a fresh approach aimed at attracting the world’s creative class.

Le Méridien Thriving in Starwood System, Exceeding Financial Expectations

When it acquired Le Méridien less than two years ago, Starwood anticipated that the alignment of the Le Méridien brand with a larger, stable, multi-branded hotel group would enable the brand to thrive. In fact today, Le Méridien has outperformed Starwood’s lofty financial expectations, with RevPar (revenue per available room), a key industry measure, up 12.2% in 2006, largely attributed to the strength of Starwood’s systems. For instance, when Le Méridien “plugged into” Starwood’s call centres, its inbound reservation calls lifted 30%, while the brand’s website experienced a 43% surge in revenue following the integration into Starwood’s branded websites. Le Méridien’s global sales organisation saw a 28% increase in revenue after joining Starwood’s Global Sales organisation. Finally, Le Méridien’s loyalty stays are up an astounding 230% following the integration of the previous loyalty programme, Méridien Moments, into the award winning Starwood Preferred Guest programme.

“The immediate lift in performance by the brand is a testament to Starwood’s successful integration of Le Méridien, and that it is the perfect compliment for the brand, giving it a highly robust and effective operational platform.” said Eva Ziegler, Senior Vice President, Le Méridien Brand.