Le Meridien plans more hotels
LE Meridien Hotels & Resorts plans to increase its presence in Asia to 28 hotels in the next three to five years thanks to the steady growth of the tourism industry in the region.
Richard Mahoney, president and chief operating officer, said the tourism industry in Asia had been growing faster than the rest of the world and this had encouraged the group to expand in the region. "The future for prosperity is here in Asia where there appears to be more business and leisure activities compared with other regions," he added.
Le Meridien plans to open two new properties a month around the world - in addition to its existing 144 hotels with total rooms of 38,631 in 57 countries - to make its corporate brand better known.
Last year, after Japanese investor Nomura bought the Le Meridien brand from the UK-based media group Granada - which also owns the Forte group hotel chain - the firm underwent a management revamp to transform the hotel's management philosophy to be market-driven.
"A number of new management teams have been added, followed by the launch of marketing programmes such as a frequent-guest programme. Regional development teams have been set up to improve hotel services to attract clients," he added.
Le Meridien operates 18 hotels in Asia, of which five are in Thailand - two in Bangkok, two in Phuket and one on Samui.
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