Now THIS is a thread that’s up my alley. I’m sure some of you have picked up that Le Méridien is by far and away my absolute favorite brand in the entire SPG/Marriott portfolio since mid-century modern design, coffee and art are all things I live for, so it’s been wonderful watching the brand grow and develop/polish its identity over the past few years. That being said, here’s my opinion on some properties I’ve experienced over the past two years:
The greatest hits:
Le Méridien Shanghai, Minhang: Although the construction quality is a bit shoddy if you look closely enough, the design of this property is off-the-chain spectacular. Location was fine for a different, quieter part of Shanghai, the staff were great [barring the general language barrier issues one experiences everywhere in China] and the property itself is a complete standout. Makes me want to redecorate my entire house.
Le Royal Méridien Shanghai: While a renovation won’t go amiss [planned for 2018; Hu Bar & Lounge across the 64th-66th floors already renovated so go look there for an indicator of things to come], the service was spotless, the Platinum treatment was on-point, the location in the center of Shanghai, the food was great and the overall feel was top-notch.
Le Méridien Istanbul Etiler: Gorgeous property, fabulous upgrades, secluded from the madness of central Istanbul, excellent food, great service.
Le Royal Méridien Abu Dhabi: Really, really good post-renovation with wonderful staff, great food and a sea-facing location off the Abu Dhabi corniche. Pool and health facilities, however, need work.
Le Royal Méridien Dubai Beach Resort & Spa: A Dubai icon for good reason, this place has gotten monumentally better since they renovated one of the towers and recently wrapped work up on the main building [Club Tower to be renovated in 2018]. The final product is stunning and steps the brand as a whole up, service was always a strong point, lavish food offerings and tons of on-property facilities to keep you occupied.
Le Méridien Dhaka: Yes, it’s close to the airport but Dhaka is borderline anarchy so there are worse places to be. The design of the public spaces/rooms/pool deck are lovely [if you can overlook that some of the rooms face dead internal courtyards], the food was excellent and the staff are always eager to please [i.e. being attentive but not overbearing, constantly bringing us items at the lounge that weren’t on offer/from other restaurants].
Le Méridien Chambers Minneapolis: Gorgeous little hotel with personalized service, beautiful original artwork littered throughout the hotel and rooms, excellent suites, the bar was great and the location in the middle of MSP made every second of this stay truly superb.
The good:
Le Méridien New Delhi: Excellent location, great food and truly superb staff across the board, but major points are lost since the hotel is begging for a renovation - the room and club lounge décor in particular are very dated and has taken quite a beating in some places.
Le Méridien Kochi: Similar to New Delhi, the food and staff are great and the location on one of Kochi’s backwaters adds to the secluded appeal of the property, but I’m not sure why the room renovation process is taking so bl__dy long. The lobby has been completed and looks great, and the few renovated rooms are also nicely done… but this isn’t a 10000-room property so there’s no reason why the works aren’t property-wide/done yet.
Le Méridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre: It may be in front of the airport, but I’ve always appreciated the spacious grounds and quiet ambience of this hotel. It was the first Le Méridien in Dubai and one of the oldest in the global portfolio - something that shows in the low-lying main building with its wood-paneled rooms and beige everything. They’ve just completed renovations in the main lobby and it looks fantastic, plus they’ve started renovations in the main building which will see all rooms completed by this time next year. Other than that, the Royal Club where Plats usually get upgraded is fabulous and that staff are generally great… although I’ve had more service hiccups this recent stay than others.
Le Méridien Visconti Rome: Location couldn’t be better for walking across the city, lobby/room renovation is beautiful and the staff [minus one snarky reception agent] were great… but the fact that trying to get the air conditioning in the rooms to work is such a hassle detracts from the guest comfort aspect. The breakfast room in the basement was also not renovated and looks glaringly dated and inconsistent with the rest of the hotel.
Le Méridien Vienna: Stellar location, some standout staff [hello Stefan] and the availability of a pool made staying here awesome, but the room was designed in the old Art+Tech design scheme from the early 2000s so it was past its prime [renovations ongoing, due for completion in April 2018]. The food was good but this being Vienna, so many better options are located just beyond the hotel doors.
Le Méridien Angkor: The closest hotel in Siem Reap to the spectacular-beyond-words temples of Angkor Wat. Excellent pool, lovely architecture and good staff [language barriers apply here], but the rooms could use a redo.
Le Méridien Suvarnabhumi Golf Resort & Spa: Loved the spacious grounds here and the generous suite upgrade despite limited inventory, the food was great and this being Thailand, the staff were almost always over-the-top with how genuinely hospitable they were. The Platinum happy hour, however, was a little stingy and others might not appreciate being sequestered on a golf/residential compound when in Bangkok.
The ones that, er, need improvement:
Le Méridien Abu Dhabi: Open since 1978 and feels it in more spots than it should. The rooms were renovated in 2005/6 but haven’t been touched since [bar room 305 and a deluxe suite, which are furnished in true, contemporary Le Méridien style], the low ceilings are bit claustrophobic and the facilities in general are a bit run-down. Staff are good and they’ve made some upgrades [i.e. the new brand-standard Latest Recipe restaurant] but the rest of the work needs to happen ASAP.
Le Méridien Fairway, Dubai: It may be within spitting distance of DXB, but there’s no reason for this tiny little hotel to not be completely renovated into a boutique Le Méridien rather than solider on as a forgotten airport relic. The pink marble lobby, heavy wooden furniture and musty feel all have to go.
Le Méridien Jakarta: Lovely staff and excellent club lounge aside, this property is way past its sell-by date in the public spaces/rooms/general décor department. Those spaces are pretty beaten up, plumbing can be an issue and - it’s beyond the hotel’s control - the crumbling, rusty remains of the failed BDNI Center detract from the ambience of the pool deck and surrounding area. The renovated rooms are great [although why they removed the tub for an enlarged shower in a spacious bathroom with wasted space is beyond me] and the property-wide renovation project was supposed to be done by late 2015… but here we are at the end of 2017 and there’s no sign of it ending.
There are a few properties on my bucket list including:
- Le Méridien Bora Bora
- Le Méridien Tampa [I love love love adaptive reuse]
- Le Méridien Philadelphia [same reason as above; will wait for room renovation completion early next year]
- Le Méridien Thimphu
- Le Méridien Paro Riverfront
…but hopefully more renovations are conducted around the world to bring properties more in line with the brand. Seeing how strong Le Méridien is today is exciting and I truly hope that the brand expands under Marriott’s stewardship to well beyond where it currently stands.
khabah