This sounds about right given what we saw when passing by Le Meridien last week. Most OWVs are a LONG way from being ready. It should be nice when they're done though!

Same here! Huge bummer for my plans. I suppose covid and supply shortages put them way behind schedule or did they double-down on expansion plans?

Based on the few things I heard from folks at St Regis, it sounds like a combination of COVID delays with regards to productivity and supply chain issues on the materials side. However I can't say I spoke with anyone who would be able to speak with great authority on this matter.

Can you imagine if the offerings at the Le Meridien was much more improved compared to the StR?

(Sarcasm) Plot Twist: Le Meridien reflags as Ritz Carlton ... Who knows? ;)

….

I could be mistaken, but I could swear that said Q4 2022 a couple months ago. Looks like they extended a year recently. They will have been closed almost 4 years. Crazy.

TD

Passed by the LM about an hour ago.


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6eb3b66ef.jpeg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5453f95d2.jpeg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...2b30d57b2.jpeg

A couple of folks in another forum mentioned that they've heard LM will actually be reopening as a Westin. To me, the OWVs and general buildout look very similar to the LM Maldives, so that would be surprising to me. I'd also be a bit disappointed as I typically prefer LM to Westin by a solid margin. Has anyone else heard a similar rumor?

I could hardly imagine this as a Westin, either it stays a LM, or becomes a W, or RC.

One would think, right? With such a phenomenal location and given the fact that there's not a ton of room to add more top-tier resorts, rebranding to a lower tier (or even same tier) would not seem to make much sense.

If they are going to rebrand, they won't say it's temperately closed I guess. Besides, if rebrand, it's usually an upgrade, like Hilton to Conrad. LM to Westin is at most same category, if not downgrade.

I don't know how reliable is this interview or if the answers have been well reported, but it says:There is tension on (room) inventory: several notable hotels, such as the Intercontinental in Moorea, the two Sofitels and the Méridien in Bora-Bora, have closed and will not reopen.https://www.lechotouristique.com/art...cruter-en-2022

Interesting: Le Meridien Bora Bora is listed on this piece about the latest Worldwide Marriott Bonvoy promotion, but I could not find an available date.

https://loyaltylobby.com/2022/10/05/...3/?omhide=true

The plot thickens.

Not sure if you're able to read in the original language, but maybe the "permanently closed" is a translation error and it's "has been closed"? Or maybe this is more data pointing to a brand change since I can't imagine them permanently closing with all the recent construction?

I copied and pasted from Google Translate, but "... et le Méridien de Bora-Bora, ont fermé leurs portes et ne les rouvriront pas." is exactly ":... and Le Meridien have closed their doors and will not re-open them".

We all know that the hotel will be opened again in a few months, so he might have meant that the property will not re-open as a Le Meridien or it might just be poor reporting.
It also seems that Marriott is trying to have owners switch Le Meridien branded hotels to other brands. In this case, it would not surprise me if a big W is installed on the arrival "ponton".