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Published on January 26, 2008

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc, which acquired Le Meridien brand in November 2005, took the opportunity of this week's Asian Tourism Forum 2008 opening in Bangkok to showcase the luxury brand's new concept as well as the new hotels the group would soon to opening in Thailand.

Hwee Peng Yeo, Starwood's director of corporate communications for Asia Pacific, says the core values of Le Meridien are based on "chic, cultured and discovery" and are designed for guests to experience a new perspective of enjoyment.

When a luxury brand like Le Meridien, which was established by Air France 35 years ago, aims to be chic, it requires a strong team of consultants. "Hence the creation of LM100," says Hwee.

"LM100 is a community of creative people, led by Jerome Sans, who's the cultural curator. Now there are 12 members, and the aim is to reach 100 members in the next few years by choosing individuals from the fields of art, architecture, cuisine, design and fashion to develop new experiences for guests of Le Meridien hotels worldwide", she explains.

Current members who will have a significant impact on the future of the brand include French chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and the cuisine guru for Le Meridien. His role is to put his mark on cuisine at all Le Meridien restaurants worldwide and his first mission has been to develop signature components of Le Meridien breakfast, which will be unveiled early this year.

Other members include Linda Grabe, Le Meridien's adviser on wines who'll will be creating, implementing and curating wine experiences at Le Meridien hotels. Michael Lin, one of Le Meridien's first "Unlock Art" artists, has created signature keycard designs that are currently being piloted in Le Meridien hotels worldwide.

The list also includes photographer Ralph Gibson, New York based filmmaker Kiki Allgeier, musician and composer Henri Scars Struck, parfumiers Eddie Roschi and Fabrice Penot, Andrea Illy, grandson of the founder of Illy, who will be Le Meridien's special advisor on coffee culture, and renowned artists Hisham Bharoocha, Nick Dine and Sam Samore.

Due to this occasion, the brand also announced the launch of the redesigned LeMeridien.com, a website created for guests interested in travelling to discover a new perspective in arts, music, fashion, design and cuisine.

Le Meridien brand continues to enjoy a strong expansion in Asia with the opening of three new hotels in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. What's more, two more new hotels under the Le Meridien brand are also scheduled to open in Pattaya and Suvarnabhumi in 2009.

Vipasai Niyamabha

Special to The Nation