News

Me London to open in time for London 2012

14 Sep 2011 by ScottCarey7

Melia Hotels International CEO Gabriel Escarrer believes that the group's second London property will be open two months ahead of the Olympic Games, despite damage caused by a fire earlier this year.

This announcement comes amidst doubts that the hotel, located at the corner of the Strand and Aldwych, would be completed on time following the fire at the property in June, as reported here.

Gabriel Escarrer said, “We expect to finish April to May at the latest in order to run it two to three months ahead of the Olympic Games,” a delay of one month from the original planned opening date.

The 156-room Me London will combine the historic facade of Marconi House with a new Portland Stone building and will feature a striking pyramid shaped lobby area, fitness and business centres, complimentary wifi throughout, a rooftop bar with views of Somerset House and the Thames and a food and beverage offering from fashionable New York restaurant, STK House.

Escarrer has also set out the rationale behind the hotel group’s rebranding from Sol Melia to Melia Hotels International, as first reported here. The new brand is intended to reflect the group’s increasingly globalised portfolio, with 32 new hotels in the pipeline before 2014.

This global expansion will be aimed towards the growing markets in Asia-Pacific and Latin America, namely China and Brazil, as well as consolidating the groups market share in Europe and the USA. Melia have had a presence in Indonesia since opening the Melia Bali in 1985, but is targeting further growth throughout the Asia-Pacific region, including properties in Vietnam and Thailand.

Emphasis on growth in China is the priority following Melia’s strategic alliance with Chinese hotel group Jin Jiang in March, and the opening of its first hotel in China, the Gran Melia Shanghai, as reported by Business Traveller Asia-Pacific here.

The group is working on key strategic locations in Asia in an attempt to establish a major foothold on the continent and attract the Chinese tourism feeder market towards Melia hotels. This is in order to hit Escarrer’s target of making Melia Hotels International one of the top ten hotel firms for managed properties worldwide by 2014.

The partnership will initially focus on six hotels managed by Jin Jiang in major Chinese cities such as the Jin Jiang Tower and Marvel hotel in Shanghai, the Xinai Jin Jiang hotel in Beijing, the Jin Jiang Sanya Royal Garden Resort in Sanya, the Wuhan Jin Jiang International Hotel in Wuhan and the West Capital International Hotel in Xi’an.  

For more information visit me-by-melia.com and solmelia.com

Report by Scott Carey

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