Strategy

Art attack

After having changed hands a number of times since its inception in 1972, the Le Meridien brand, now with Starwood Hotels and Resorts, will don a new avatar - a result of three years of planning - with an impetus on art. By Sayoni Bhaduri

Anuraag Bhatnagar GM Le Royal Meridien Mumbai

Larry Malarkar Regional director (Sales & Marketing), India, Nepal and Bangladesh for Starwood Hotels and Resorts

Conceived by Air France in 1972, the Le Meridien brand has seen phenomenal growth with 58 properties in a span of 19 years amongst its portfolio in the most strategic locations whether it is in Europe, Africa, the French West Indies, Canada, South America, the Middle East or Mauritius. In November 2005, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide acquired the Le Meridien brand and the management business while the leased and owned real estate assets were acquired in a separate deal by a joint venture formed by Lehman Brothers and Starwood Capital.

The brand has undergone many changes over the years, though it has stayed true to its core image of providing a French/European experience to guests. Well into the new millennium and under a new ownership, the brand has been looking at a revamp for sometime now, explains Larry Malarkar, regional director (sales & marketing), India, Nepal and Bangladesh for Starwood Hotels and Resorts. He adds, "Le Meridien today stands for chic, culture and discovery. It gives a sense of something and everything French."

Plan of action

To further develop the concept, Starwood has been working on Le Meridien 100 (LM100). Selected by Jérôme Sans, Le Méridien's cultural curator, 100 of the most creative people in the world are coming together to help guide and decipher the meaning of chic, culture and discovery through their crafts. These creators come from across the board from different age groups and skill sets.

The aim is to create a marketing strategy which appeals to the guest looking for some aspirational value in their stay. The members of LM100 are to interact and create an experience that is the same yet unique in the various Le Meridien properties across the globe. This process has already been underway, and will be launched in phases within a year. Anuraag Bhatnagar, who was present at Le Royal Meridien Mumbai's pre-opening stage, is now back to take up the reins of the hotel as its general manager, says, "The idea is to develop upon the sensory element of experience like art, cuisine and culture. All this is in an effort to create a different brand identity particularly with the experiential features."

Bhatnagar, who is also in the general manager's advisory for the new branding programme, said that after Starwood's acquisition of the Meridien brand, it was seen that the brand recall for the existent Meridien had become very strong. The new identity was built using the existing marketing tools that Starwood had. "Being with Starwood has already shown great results particularly with its marketing. We have also inherited e-tools, GDS, TMC, and airline associations including the Starwood Preferred Guest system. This has led to approximately 15 to 18 per cent direct growth advantage," he added.

The need to create something distinct has spread all the way through the lobby and other public areas that will have their own signature scents across all Le Meridien properties around the world. The room cards will be a work of art in itself. As part of the ‘Unlock Art’ initiative is a key to art galleries in the city allowing them to experience art in the true sense of the word.

Even the linens have been designed to give a chic and sophisticated look without being too overbearing with an European feel. Philips Lighting has been appointed to create the lighting effect while Le Labo Scents has been brought in to create an exclusive perfume structure specifically made to follow the Meridien lines. The aromas range from frankincense, musk, iris and other earthy tones. Grammy-winning French composer Henri Scars Struck will compose the music for the brand.

As Malarkar puts it, "Art is important at Le Meridien. We have tied up with local museums and galleries for free shows for all Le Meridien guests on showing the key card. The lobbies in hotels also have displays of art and music which have been specially designed for the Le Meridien brand." The question here is whether so much uniformity across various properties will eat into the local ethnic culture of a region. Bhatnagar agrees it is important for the hotel to have some differentiating aspects; it has to be a discovery every step of the way. "From the moment a guest steps into the hotel till they leave, there will always be something to discover and these will be unique to the 130 Meridien properties across the world," he says.

The Mumbai touch

Bhatnagar further describes that all 130 Meridien properties fall under three categories - heritage, contemporary and resort. The Mumbai property falls somewhere close to the heritage category with its design and feel. "For our LM100 touches, we are offering our collaterals that have special and specific information on the city."

For Unlock Art - the keycard system - the Mumbai property has tied up with Jehangir Art Gallery. The property is also lit up in the evenings to give it a heritage feel. Apart from this, it is redoing the Royal Club rooms that will be up within the next few months. There are also various F&B initiatives that are in progress. As Bhatanagar puts it, "We want to create the ability to see and experience the world through new eyes."