"We plan to add three hotels under the Le Meridien brand in South Asia, including one at Mahabaleshwar in India, by the end of this year," Le Meridien and Westin Global Brand Leader Brian Povinelli told PTI.
He was speaking on the sidelines of opening of Le Meridien at Gurgaon following the re-branding of the existing hotel, which was earlier manged by another global hospitality chain Accor.
The brand is enjoying strong growth momentum worldwide, resonating with travellers who have an affinity for the arts, culture and cuisine, Povinelli said, adding: "Idea of Le Meridien is connecting people to destination through culture, cuisine and local neighbourhood."
Le Meridian is a five-star upper upscale brand of the Starwood Hotels and Resorts.
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When asked about the business model in India, Povinelli said: "We mainly follow the management contract and franchise model and don't own the properties. In India we have a large franchise portfolio."
"Over a 100 people are directly employed by the company in India," Puri said.
Le Meridien, the Paris-born hotel brand is currently represented by 99 properties in more than 35 countries. It was acquired by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc in November 2005.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts has 43 hotels in India at present out of which eight are under the Le Meridien brand.
Globally the hospitality chain manages around 1,200 properties in 100 countries under nine brands -- St Regis, The Luxury Collection, W, Le Meridien, Sheraton, Westin, Four Points by Sheraton, Aloft and Element.