From my personal experience Le Meridien went (and more so: Still is going) through a much more drastic rebranding than any other brand in the SPG portfolio (e.g. compared to Sheraton that is simply being refreshed a bit from its dusty '80s image).

I know the Le Meridien before it was integrated into Starwood and the LMs during different stages of the transition.
If you look at the more modern LMs or the ones that have been substantially refreshed (e.g. Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur, Hamburg, Vienna), you can definitely see a consistent tone here. The brand's distinguishing factor is focusing on (modern) art:
- They have key cards designed by artists
- Some hotels have 24hr long sound tracks in their elevators
- artworks in the lobby, on the guest room floors and/or in the rooms (LM Hamburg even has photography art that was actually produced in the hotel rooms!)
- you get free entry to art galleries
Another characteristic is that a LM hotel always offers some kind of progressive breakfast features. In my opinion that also fits perfectly well with the LM art theme. There are certainly a few other features that I am currently not thinking about that fit into this theme.

Older properties or those lacking the proper redesign (like Frankfurt, Stuttgart or the Le Royal Meridien Shanghai - the latter at least in 2010 when I was staying there), seem rather like leftovers that somehow received this brand.

I personally would be interested in how the LM Delfina Santa Monica looks like these days. I know it from the days when it still was a Sheraton. I am wondering how this was changed and if it fits the overall Art theme now.


As OP was comparing to Westin and Sheraton: I must say that both of them actually pale in comparison and have slim to no recognizing feature. Westin has a very distinct (and awesome!!) smell. But things like Westin Workout, Superfoods breakfast, Westin Heavenly bed, Sheraton Sweet Sleeper Bed, Link@Sheraton etc. are imho much less creative than what the LM brand is doing.