Canterbury Owners Unveil New Name
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA historic hotel in downtown Indianapolis is undergoing a major rebranding. The Canterbury Hotel will be known as Le M?ridien Indianapolis once a $9.5 million renovation is complete in November. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Inc. (NYSE: HOT) says the Paris-born brand already includes nearly 100 properties in more than 40 countries. January 15, 2014
News Release
NEW YORK — Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) today announced that its Le M?ridien brand will soon add Indianapolis to its rapidly growing North American portfolio. Le M?ridien Indianapolis will debut in November 2014 following a $9.5 million renovation of The Historic Canterbury Hotel, a landmark property in the heart of downtown. Owned by Rockbridge and managed by Azul Hospitality, Le M?ridien Indianapolis will feature a timeless chic design ethos that juxtaposes the hotel’s historic architecture with a contemporary, modern style.
The historic Canterbury site, dating back to 1858, was rebuilt in 1928 as a hotel infused with the charms of Canterbury, England. As part of the comprehensive renovation, Le M?ridien Indianapolis will feature 100 modern guest rooms, local cuisine in a re-designed restaurant and lounge, an expanded fitness centre and more than 1,750 square-feet of upgraded meeting and event space.
“Le M?ridien Indianapolis will bring a renewed energy to this historic landmark building, offering travellers a modern hotel experience in the heart of the city’s vibrant downtown,” said Allison Reid, Senior Vice President of North America Development, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. “We are proud to expand our relationship with both Rockbridge and Azul Hospitality as we prepare to introduce this contemporary lifestyle brand to Indianapolis.”
Le M?ridien Indianapolis will feature the brand’s signature Le M?ridien Hub™, which re-interprets the traditional lobby into a social gathering place, and further builds on the brand’s award-winning arrival experience and coffee culture. Le M?ridien arrival consists of four elements: large-scale artwork in high impact areas; the sensory experience, illustrated through Le M?ridien signature scent, sound and use of light; UNLOCK ART™ programme, featuring artist designed key card collections that offer access to Le M?ridien affiliated contemporary cultural centers in the city; and a 24-hour curated soundtrack. The Hub at Le M?ridien Indianapolis will also feature the signature Master Barista, a recently launched initiative to meet the growing demands of coffee lovers at every Le M?ridien hotel worldwide. Master Baristas lead coffee-related initiatives at each hotel, serve as a coffee cultural ambassador, and maintain knowledge of current coffee trends within the destination.
“The major revitalization and rebranding of this special property will bring back the character of this hotel in a new and modern way,” said Jim Merkel, President and CEO of Rockbridge. “The rebranding coupled with the strength of the Starwood system, will position Le M?ridien Indianapolis as the place to stay in Indianapolis.”
“We look forward to the debut of Le M?ridien in Indianapolis as we continue to accelerate portfolio growth across North America,” said Brian Povinelli, Global Brand Leader, Le M?ridien and Westin. “Since acquiring the brand in 2005, Starwood has made significant investments in redeveloping Le M?ridien, which unlocks the destination for guests through the arts, culture and cuisine in key cities around the world.”
Le M?ridien Indianapolis is walking distance to the Indiana Convention Center, Indiana Statehouse and the offices of numerous corporations including Eli Lilly, Brightpoint and Wellpoint. The hotel is convenient to the city’s theatres, museums, galleries and music venues, and a private entrance directly connects the hotel to the Circle Centre Mall, where guests can access the city’s climate-controlled, indoor Skywalk system.
About Le M?ridien Hotels & Resorts
Le M?ridien, the Paris-born hotel brand currently represented by nearly 100 properties in more than 40 countries, was acquired by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYS: HOT) in November 2005. With more than 80 of its properties located in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Le M?ridien provided a strong international complement to Starwood's then primarily North American holdings at the time of purchase. Since then, Le M?ridien has gone through a brand re-launch, which included a large scale hotels product consolidation as well as redefining its brand strategy. Through creation of the LM100 artist community, Le M?ridien has transformed numerous guest touch points, thus bringing unique, interactive and curated experiences to its guests. Plans call for dynamic expansion of Le M?ridien Hotels and Resorts within the next five years, concentrating on markets in Asia-Pacific and the Americas. Le M?ridien recently opened new hotels in Bali, Atlanta, Dallas, Istanbul, Oran (Algeria), Arlington (Virginia, USA), and Coimbatore (India), and will open in the next 12 months in Chicago, Zhengzhou (China), Mahabaleshwar (India), Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), Cairo (Egypt), Qingdao (China), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Tampa (Florida, USA) and Columbus (Ohio, USA). For more information, please visit www.lemeridien.com or www.facebook.com/lemeridien. Follow @lemerdienhotels on Instagram.
About Rockbridge
Rockbridge is an integrated hotel investment firm that has executed on over 325 hotel investments in 44 states over the past two decades. Since 1992, Rockbridge’s team has invested nearly $3 billion in the hospitality industry as part of approximately $5 billion of total transaction capitalization. The principals of Rockbridge have formed and managed ten hospitality-focused investment funds with predominantly institutional investors. For additional information about Rockbridge, visit www.rockbridgecapital.com.
About Azul Hospitality
Azul Hospitality Group, a Preferred Management Company for the Le Meridien brand, has a robust infrastructure of industry professionals with extensive experience in all aspects of hotel management and development services. The company’s primary focus is on upscale hotels and resorts, with unique destination and product attributes. Other recent projects with Starwood Hotels and Resorts include the Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California, the Aloft Cupertino in Cupertino, California, and the Sheraton Redding at Sundial Bridge in Redding, California. For additional information about Azul, visit www.azulhospitalitygroup.com.
Source: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.