Following its launch last year as a brand extension for Le Meridien, the luxury hotel group's Art + Tech design concept is winning accolades from both owners and travellers worldwide.
According to president & chief operating officer, Richard Mahoney, a number of new hotel developers were opting to include the lifestyle room design in new projects in Asia and Europe - while Art + Tech would debut in the Middle East next year.
"Of the contracts we have signed this year, our Art + Tech brand has been chosen as the brand of the future for hotels in Hong Kong's futuristic Cyberport development and the multi-million dollar Frankfurt Airrail Centre - while Art + Tech by Le Meridien at Minneapolis opens this November as the first introduction in to North America for the new look," he said during a recent visit to Dubai.
Meanwhile, in the Middle East, one wing of the 200-room extension at Le Meridien Dubai will be devoted to Art + Tech rooms, and the group's first boutique property at the Helipolis CityStars development will also include elements of the cutting edge design.
"While this is not specifically a business hotel concept, it works best in the world's great cities, such as London, Paris, New York, and now in the Middle East," said Mahoney. The group's Le Meridien Dubai is considering an Art + Tech concept ready for occupancy in early 2003.
He explained that research had showed that Le Meridien was perceived as a 'different' hotel group to the all-encompassing US giants, although those surveyed could not specify why: "Now we want to define this with physical differentiation."
"We started with our own hotels in London, and can now use the results from these to convince owners elsewhere that the new look is more than just a paint job - but a real investment that brings results in terms of double or triple room yield."
Using both the Art + Tech initiative and its reputation as an upscale European brand, Le Meridien is well on schedule to double in size within five years, Mahoney confirmed.
"We have ramped up the growth machine with a global development team now in place, who have around 120 projects in the pipeline at any one time," he said.
Mahoney said around 20 confirmed deals were under development, and the Middle East and West Asia would play a key role in global expansion. "Generally, we have a good presence in the Middle East with new hotels opening in Luxor, Saudi Arabia and the UAE this year, while India represents a key growth area for us with up to a dozen projects in the works."
Although Le Meridien has a sales and marketing alliance with Nikko Hotels, Mahoney ruled out further expansion through this method, stating the aim was to grow Le Meridien name. "Our target is two new properties a month worldwide, and most of these will be one-off deals to expand our brand - while we will continue with sale and leaseback deals of assets in Europe to assist with debt reduction," he said.
The stated aim is for Le Meridien to position as a top performer in terms of occupancy, yield and network within five years, when the group is expected to go public and exit the bank's ownership.
Notes
Art + Tech is a design concept that combines minimal dcor with enhancements of the three essential elements of any hotel room - the bed, bathroom and television. The latter is a top of the range, wall-mounted 42-inch plasma screen with video and music on demand, while other technology additions include modems and ISDN lines for high-speed Internet access.
The bed is also high-tech, NASA-designed and electronically controlled by four motors to enable varying head, neck, back and knee positioning, while doubles have separate controls for individual requirements, and all come with white duvets and feather or anti-allergic pillows.
In the bathroom, the free-standing shower tower includes shower and body jets, as well as luxurious amenities such as Hermes bath soaps. The rooms combine strong colours and simple lines with local artworks, and the use of glass and pale woods, to give a spacious uncluttered look that appeals to everyone from mature bankers to the young and trendy.
Around 5,000 A+T rooms are planned in the first phase in hotels in the UK, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, North America and the Middle East, starting with Le Meridien's prime sites in London where one floor is already in operation at Le Meridien Russell and the Cumberland is currently being transformed to open at the first Art + Tech hotel next April.
In flagship hotels such as London's Grosvenor House and the Ritz in Madrid, the new look will be kept to a floor or annex to provide an alternative without losing traditional appeal. |
