Why stay at chain hotels when apt are available much cheaper?
 

We spent 2weeks in Croatia in May this year. Had an Avis for 13 days except the last day at Zagreb.
In most of the trip we stayed at one to two bedrooms apartments that average to 55 euro a night all with parking. At Split we initially considered Le Meridian but the reviews generally were bad. Then there is a Radisson but we prefer to stay closer to old town. Beach is not our thing especially European beaches which are inferior to those in US, SE Asia and South Pacific. So we decided to concentrate our search of properties at local apartments. We are very happy with all our choices all found on Booking.com.
We did use the brand new Sheraton Dubrovnik for a 3 days stay instead of apartment or Hilton in the old town because the Sheraton was an exceptional value for the money (point cost).
You should have a rental car visiting Croatia. Parking is NOT free in virtually ALL towns we have visited but generally there are parking lots or underground multi-level garages found in popular towns. Google map is your friend to find the parking facilities.

Coz we're loyal to SPG
 

Well you could make the same argument anywhere in the world. Anyway having stayed in an assortment of *Wood hotels and B&Bs and boutique hotels/apts during our Croatia trip, there's something to be said for coming back to something familiar like LeMeridien. Of course there's plenty of good (and bad) to be said about the other accommodations we stayed in too.

Anyway Croatia was singularly easy to BRG ;)

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I did an Airbnb on the island of Hvar because there are none of the usual chain hotels there. But I'm very glad I chose this LM for Split. Twice. The Platinum benefits are great as I think *most* of the reviews here show.

EWRFlyerAL above says the Hilton Dubrovnik is better and I agree. It has a very nice club and an awesome location and an overall more luxurious feeling. But this LM right on the beach is pretty good too. I wish it had a great club though.

The good and the bad
 

Just completed a 5 day stay on points.

The Good
Lovely location. Generally, very good staff - pleasant, in most cases, responsive and efficient.Nice breakfast buffet. Nice restaurants in the hotel and on the beachfront.

The Bad
Claims to be a 5 star hotel. It's closer to a 3.
Hotel was close to 100% occupancy. So the platinum upgrade was to a regular room with a view of the marina and the sea.
Towels at the beach were worn and frayed. Towels in the room were not as bad, but should be discarded.
Water pressure in the shower was delightful. However, there was a problem with the seal at the bottom and puddles had to be wiped up after each shower. Reported to the front desk. Nothing was done. Then next day spoke to the manager on duty who listened but didn't seem overly concerned. When we came back to our room, the problem was not solved but there was a bowl of fruit on the desk. A change of room was not offered. However, the problem was bearable and we wouldn't have wanted to move
Turn down service in the evening was closer to late afternoon service. Once we asked the maid to come back later. She didn't and I had to call for fresh towels and for takeaway of the soaked towels used to wipe up the floor. The next day I asked the front desk to tel housekeeping to come after 8. The maid showed up at 6:45.
Room service plates were left in the hall for many hours.

I recently completed a 3 night stay and had an excellent experience at this hotel. Upgraded to Adriatic Suite, which was wonderful...overlooking marina, great bathroom with separate shower/tub, large walk-in closet, nice welcome tray of fruit and sweets awaiting us in our room. Breakfast was very good and we were able to eat on the patio overlooking the sea each morning. Staff was very welcoming, from front desk, room and restaurant staff. We ate at one of the restaurants 2 nights...nice food, welcomed with amuse bouche first night, wait staff remembered us the second night. We loved our stay, particularly the excellent service from the staff we encountered, and would look forward to a return.

I second tds's thoughts. We were there last month and had a great time. All the suites were fully booked (and had been at least a week before our arrival), but they put us in one of the rooms up over the marina, which was a great view. Breakfast was quite good, with good selection and made to order eggs, and we also dined on the deck each day - not crowded at all there. The "beach" was crowded, but there are plenty of spots with great views. Mrs. SAN-man had a fantastic day at the spa, for absurdly low prices. Staff was great, very professional and really friendly. We got a great rate and the 6 nights stay credit with the 2x promo helped sway the decision, but I would go back in a heartbeat.

To one of the earlier questions, we did not get charged for parking. We took the car out twice, but when going into town just took a cab for about $20-25 - that just was much easier with 3 couples and not wanting a DUI in Croatia.

ETA: I just filled out the survey last week, and did remember one thing that is worth mentioning here - the beds are AWFUL. Like maybe the worst bed I've had in any Starwood anywhere. Hard as a rock, like sleeping on plywood. Didn't bother Mrs. SAN-man (maybe that's why she had to go to the spa?), but I didn't enjoy at all. But that's literally my only complaint.

I wish I could say I had an experience like tds or SAN-man. For me it was a budget hotel marketed as luxury that was lacking in service and amenities. I will not be returning to this property.

Stayed here in July. The hotel is about 15 minutes and a $25 cab ride from the city. Hotel is very modern. Indoor pool was a nice touch, as are the beach cabanas. Definitely eat at Leonis in the marina - it was one of the best meals we had in Croatia. No platinum suite upgrade as the hotel was full, but we did get an upgrade to a marina view room. Breakfast was included and the spread was quite large. I would rate the hotel as a solid 4 star.

Excellent service
 

Stayed there last year in July. Very good and friendly service. Nice hotel although it has been converted from older property. Located in the south suburbs of Split. Few good restaurants nearby. Large rooms. Beach. Very good breakfast in the main restaurant. The swimming pool is a little bit too small for number of guests in the summer. Overall the service makes the difference here. The concierge was superb.

just completed a week at LM on a combination of points and paid stay as we booked two rooms for Mrs/Mr Yapak2 and our kids.
First of all there are NO connecting rooms, contrary to what the website stated.
Also, it required a bit of intervention to ensure we would at least get adjacent rooms.
Having said that it worked out well as we had rooms at the end of the hallway opposite each other.

We are truly mixed about the place and I try to explain.
Rooms are nice-ish but on the small side. Our room, with marina view did not have a walk in shower, just a bath tub. While our kids room was larger but with a view to the casino tower which is well not so nice either.
I would agree beds and specifically mattresses are subpar.

Outdoor pool area was VERY crowded and the pool is definitely on the smaller side. Not much space to play with the kids.
Tennis courts are spectatucalr when sun sets (on top of the carpark), overlooking the Adriatic Sea. Worn and dated equipment though, especially for the adjacent volleyball and basketball court.
Indoor pool is nice but being part of the gym and spa area, I could well see why people think the spa is a bit hectic and crazy.

Food was good, although definitely not grand. we tried the 7 palms (good lunch) and the Colemani (Italian for dinner, which was mediocre and pricey).
Buffet breakfast was good and plenty but service was poor. I think this gets me to my main complaint about the place. Except for Josip (?) at reception and the guy in charge of pool area, most folks seemed not the hospitable type. Very little smiling, very little heartfelt, charming interactions with clients. It is difficult to truly describe what we felt was lacking and it was only when we left and arrived at another place where people were laughing and warmly interacting that it sort of clicked and we realised that it was that type of sterile interaction we experienced in Split.
Is this a 5star? Maybe not. Definitely a good 4 star.
Would we come again? If we happen to be in the region then most probably. The country is beautiful and so are its old villages and cities.
But we definitely would not make it a point to go back to this hotel (unlike i.e. Westin in Athens) as also there is little exciting stuff nearby (walking along the beach for other dinner options, that is).

And worth mentioning: It was peak season, and I can't fault the hotel for running near 100% occupancy, in fact, happy for them. This may have attributed to our experience.

I stayed in mid-2016 in a suite with a connecting room to a ?class of non-suite room. So they definitely have connecting room-to-suite. I can't speak for other types of rooms.

when I spoke with the hotel (before and during my stay) they clearly said they dont have any connecting rooms at all. This btw was also confirmed by SPG.
OK, maybe the odd exception is in the context of a suite connecting to a standard room.

I apologise. After reading what you wrote I felt very puzzled and went back to look at my pictures. I now realise that we were actually in a two bed-room suite. I can't remember the layout and whether there was a separate exit door for the second room though I seem to recall there being so. Anyway if the hotel insists there aren't then they must be right.

Strange. It's a huge hotel. Odd that they would have no connecting rooms at all. Then again I've come across numerous hotels in Japan which don't have connecting rooms.

3 night stay
 

We were happy to stay in this location away from Split when we visited. We could take a taxi or bus to town and have a peaceful place to relax that was very close to all the activities and ferries. We had a room that overlooked the beach on the top floor and were lucky enough to catch a company sponsored fireworks show from our balcony.

That said, the bed was extremely awful. They did put another layer over the top of it once we called but it really is time to redo all mattresses. The breakfast buffet was huge but for some reason bland. Nothing stood out as special which was disappointing.

Overall, we would stay here if they changed the mattresses, but we loved our Airbnb in Dubrovnik which had stunning views, and our little hotels in Korcula, Plitvice, and Rovinj. They all had a bit more charm.