Sheraton, Le Méridien Evolve Under Starwood

Starwood is taking lessons learned at W and Westin and injecting them now into Sheraton and Le Méridien.

By Adam Kirby, Associate Editor -- HOTELS Magazine, 8/1/2007

The new high-tech, community-style lobby concept known as Link@Sheraton, like this one at Sheraton Meadowlands Hotel & Conference Center in New Jersey, will be a fixture in all Sheraton properties by the end of 2008.

WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK As W and Westin continue growing and new brands Element and aloft make the transition from virtual reality to actual reality, it would be understandable for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide to let established brands Sheraton and Le Méridien coast a bit longer. As hospitality icons, they could rely on their existing reputations rather than hip sexiness to sell rooms. Instead, Starwood is taking lessons learned at W and Westin and injecting them now into Sheraton and Le Méridien.

The 35-year-old Le Méridien brand, passed among companies like a hot potato since its 1994 acquisition by Forte Group, looks like it has finally found a home with Starwood. Since coming into the Starwood family in late 2005, Le Méridien has posted a RevPAR increase of 13% despite minimal changes to its public persona. That is changing-with back-of-house processes now up to Starwood standards, the company is rolling out some new initiatives it hopes will turn the 120-property global portfolio into a leading-edge lifestyle brand, focused on "chic, cultured discovery," says Eva Ziegler, Le Méridien's senior vice president. Simply put, Le Méridien is positioning itself as the upscale brand for fashionable arts afi cionados, and the centerpiece of that effort is the hiring of a full-time cultural curator.

Jérôme Sans, co-founder of Paris' acclaimed Palais de Tokyo, is coordinating the brand's Unlock Art program, in which collectible guestroom keys adorned with original artworks will double as access passes at progressive cultural institutions worldwide. Unlock Art will launch in pilot locations next summer, with the fi rst keycards designed by acclaimed Taiwanese artist Michael Lin. Sans also has launched a series called First Night, turning newly opened hotels into works of interactive public art. For example, illuminating colored drapery, he introduced Le Méridien San Francisco to the public as a sort of glowing mosaic, while Le Méridien Shanghai made its debut in a dramatic silhouette of colored lights.

Le Méridien is appealing to the artsy traveler with permanent physical changes to the hotels, as well. Each property will install a "transitional portal," essentially a gateway of art, light and sound meant to pique the senses and engage guests in a defi nite sense of place. "When you arrive, we want you to leave previous experiences behind and be ready to open your mind for new experiences to come," Ziegler says. Each portal will feature unique, locally relevant themes.

Le Méridien San Francisco debuts the brand's new First Night public arts program, arranging colored drapery in guestrooms to evoke mosaic imagery.

Upon entering the lobby, a subtler sensory experience takes over. Philips Lighting has been commissioned to create an atmosphere of warmth and drama, while a signature cedar-based scent by perfume house Le Labo wafts through the air. And while the hotel elevators have music, it is by no means typical as nature sounds are mixed with beats produced by French Grammy-winner Henri Scars Struck to create a so-called "Elevated Experience."

Starwood plans to expand Le Méridien in key European markets where the brand does not yet have a foothold, including St. Petersburg, Prague and Düsseldorf. Other locations with properties in the pipeline include Cairo, Lagos and locations in South Africa. In North America, which has eight Le Méridiens, expansion plans are focused on major gateway cities and alternative markets that cater to creative professionals. With about 85 hotels in the pipeline, Starwood expects to add 14 Le Méridien hotels to the portfolio by 2010. About a quarter of the brand's U.S. pipeline have a residential or multiuse component.

Sheraton's Playful Side

Sheraton made a splash in May when it revealed plans to install Microsoft's new interactive tabletop multi-user computer, Surface, in all of its 400 lobbies by the end of next year. The technological marvel will serve as the centerpiece of Sheraton's evolving lobby prototype, known as the Link@Sheraton.

Taking a cue from sibling brand W, which turned its lobby into a destination unto itself, Sheraton seeks to replicate that concept in its own "brand voice," which Sheraton Senior Vice President Hoyt Harper likens to a park setting. "We are revitalizing the icon," Harper says. "When you look at a park, people play games, entertain, relax with family and friends and dine. We want all of those things to happen in our lobby."

The Link is set off from the rest of the lobby by lattice and unique furnishings. Besides Surface, it offers computer workstations, Wi-Fi and 42-inch fl at-screen televisions in a living room-style environment, with rocking chairs, community tables and botanical scents. "Guests are spending more time in the lobby, and we have found that is translating into more food and beverage sales," Harper says.

Beyond the lobby, Surface is also showing up in Sheraton's Club Lounges, which, contrary to industry trends, are being expanded and enhanced. The lounges will get more TVs, more computers, more F&B options and an extra perk that should perk up any business traveler-massage chairs. "It is an opportunity to enhance the guest experience, but it is also a revenue opportunity," Harper says. "A majority of the guests who said the lounges were important, in our surveys, said they were willing to pay extra for them." In fact, Harper suggests the premium level Club program should generate between a US$50 and US$100 per night rate premium.

Famed Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten is in the process of creating a new slate of restaurant concepts that will be offered to Sheraton property owners. Some of the concepts will be unique to Sheraton, while others will be shared among other Starwood brands. New signature F&B options will be cooked up for meetings and events planners, providing compelling culinary packages with varied ethnic and locally oriented themes. Among the other improvements planned for the brand are new bedding with higher tread count sheets, new bath amenities, a new Sheraton Fitness program, a high-tech meetings package and proprietary content on in-room TVs.

Above all, Harper says Sheraton is focusing a renewed emphasis on brand standards to protect the good name it has worked 70 years to establish. "We are looking to enhance the quality of our product, about what it means to be a Sheraton, and what it takes to be a Sheraton will be enforced with much more rigor," he says. Sheraton has more than 80 projects slated to open within the next three years, making it the largest pipeline in brand history.