Le Méridien Opens 1st Australian Hotel, Grows Asia-Pacific By 40 More

Last year, Marriott opened its first hotel in Australia belonging to the “distinctive premium” Le Méridien brand in what was a former theater, cinema and nightclub. The 235-room hotel overlooks Parliament House and is in the center of the city’s high-end shopping and dining district. Le Méridien Melbourne is more than just a new hotel. It’s a symbol of Marriott growth strategy to expand in new and emerging markets.

Currently, there are over 115 Le Méridien hotels in 35 countries and territories, but things are about to change and fast.

More than 40 planned openings are in the works, mostly in the Asia-Pacific region, but the brand’s “savor the good life” mantra is not stopping there. Its European brand roots will see it open new hotels around the world opening up more opportunities for Marriott Bonvoy members to earn and redeem their points.

Global growth pipeline

Asia-Pacific is not a new region to Marriott International, which operates dozens of its brands there from luxury to select-service properties. But, it is a growth opportunity for Le Méridien. Especially key are the important Chinese and Indian markets, two areas that are drawing attention from hotel brands globally despite local regulations that pose hurdles.

But, things are changing, says Jesper Palmqvist, area director for the Asia-Pacific region at CoStar’s hospitality analytics division STR. In a recent podcast for Hotel News Now, he says streamlined regulations are finally opening the door for more growth in the most populated country, India.

Both China and India have been targets for the brand with recent openings including Le Méridien Hualien Resort (last December); Le Méridien Amritsar (last July) and Le Méridien Shenzhen, Bao’an in February of this year. Of the 40 planned in the Asia-Pacific region, nearly half of them are in China. On top of those, nine more are in the works with their locations to be announced soon.

“We have seen a lot of growth momentum for Le Méridien this year,” says Jennifer Connell, global brand leader, Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts and vice president, distinctive premium brands for Marriott International. “With two hotel signings in Canada last week alone and meaningful development interest in markets across the globe, it’s been a really exciting time for the brand.”

Connell points to the European-infused “savor the good life” positioning as part of the reason the brand resonates with both owner and consumer audiences looking for something different in their hotel stay.

Rooted in aviation, the brand features hotels in urban markets as well as resorts where roughly one third of its portfolio is. It is also growing its collection of airport hotels with a recently announced near the Denver International Airport and has one in the pipeline next to John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California.

The brand will add its sixth hotel in Africa soon with a new hotel coming to the island of Zanzibar in Tanzania.

A deep history in travel

Of the more than 30 Marriott Bonvoy brands, Le Méridien has one of the more unusual backgrounds with a lot of European history. It dates back to the 1960s and was started by Air France to house its passengers and crew in the destinations it served. Air France was one of many airlines to operate a network of hotels along its route network (others include American Airlines, ANA and the former Swissair).

Le Méridien was born in an era of glamorous travel and meant to give Air France passengers a chance to slow down and relax between trips. Even today, this sense of nostalgia is apparent in hotel design. For example, the new Le Méridien Melbourne has vintage travel posters from Air France on display. Across the globe, hotels offer signature Au Soleil programming with a “golden hour experience” during the summer months where guests can sip a cocktail, enjoy a local snack and relax at the end of the day.

Hotels for the senses

Au Soleil evening rituals deliver the idea to slow down and relax. A new partnership with Whispering Angel rosé taps into the growing popularity of the summer drink. The rosé sorbet flavor was created in by Chef Meredith Hayden of Wishbone Kitchen and comes in a glass cone served over a chic glass of Whispering Angel.

Hayden says the design reflects the vintage caviar ice baths and the cocktail sidecar used decades ago. Many hotels feature their sorbet sidecar with chilled treats available at all hours of the day, including one prepared with Whispering Angel. Depending on the property, some hotels also have rosé popup bars by the pool or in the lobby.

European-style café culture is another feature of hotels with barista-made Illy espresso coffee on the menu at more than 100 hotels. For more than a decade Le Méridien has been working with Illy to serve drinks from its global menu.

Each property has a calming fragrance diffused in the lobby where mid-century design with accents from the Mediterranean and French Riviera are a common theme. Curated soundtracks in elevators and public areas that change from morning to evening. Another hallmark of the brand is its art programming with eclectic, local art on display in hotels. Even the room key cards boast different designs that have made them somewhat of a collector’s item among frequent guests.

Those key cards open more than just guest room doors. Dubbed the Unlock Art program, guests can flash their room key at area art museums or cultural venues for free access, another way that O’Connell says they want guests to “embrace that sense of slowing down and enjoying their trip, which, for many, is a welcomed respite from the glorified hustle culture we’ve become accustomed to.”

It’s the idea that each hotel tells its own story.

The Melbourne property tapped local artists, sommeliers and food and beverage brands when designing the hotel. On the menu are bottled cocktails by The Everleigh Bottling Co., a local craft cocktail brand and instead of Illy, the hotel serves coffee from Melbourne-based specialty roaster Axil.

Guest rooms feature art and design books on shelves, old-fashioned board games and Yamaha MusicCast 500 turntables featuring records from musicians like James Brown and Prince, who had performed onsite years ago. There is also an “Art of Noticing” self-guided walking tour that guests can participate in around the neighborhood.

Among Marriott’s nearly three dozen brands, Le Méridien dedicates itself to local art, culture and design in a way that is far from cookie cutter. And its summertime programming brings a bit of its Mediterranean and French heritage to cities around the globe.