Press Releases
SOL MELIÁ LAUNCHES NEW BRAND OF HOTELS "ME BY MELIÁ"
NEW CONCEPT OF EXPERIENCE-BASED PERSONALITY HOTEL PUSHES THE ENVELOPE WITH BOLD NEW DESIGN, INTERNATIONAL FUSION CUISINE AND WORLD MUSIC
ME - IT'S ALL ABOUT 'YOU'
Miami, FL (October 12, 2006) - Spanish hotel group Sol Meliá announced today the launch of ME by Meliá, a new brand of experience-based 'personality' hotels in select city and resort destinations around the world. Building upon the passion for life and quality service that defines Sol Meliá, a company with 50 years of experience and includes over 350 hotels in 30 countries, the brand now extends its intimate style of warmth and Latin flair by creating platforms for unique and energizing experiences throughout all ME by Meliá properties.
ME by Meliá is the answer to the call from travellers who live for the moment and look to synergize their surroundings through music that touches the soul, art that asks questions, and cuisine that teases the taste buds long after the last bite. It is the experience that seeks to dare, to challenge, to indulge and to stimulate the senses, while seamlessly transporting guests from their daily routines into an inspirational existence. ME by Meliá is an extension of their lifestyles, designed to raise eyebrows and blur boundaries as it energizes, tempts and seduces.
According to Sol Meliá Vice Chairman and CEO Sebastián Escarrer, "For over fifty years, Sol Meliá has been true to its core values of passion for life and high quality service. In our goal to remain one of the industry leaders and brand innovators, we launch ME by Meliá as a contemporary interpretation of the Meliá philosophy. Customers will be offered an unforgettable experience designed to reach them on numerous levels, and can be taken with them when they leave." For Escarrer, the ME by Meliá brand "is a significant development in the company's continued understanding of the consumer and an expression of our commitment to anticipating their needs on a global level".
ME by Meliá will provide guests with an experience beyond accommodation, with guest recognition being the new brand's key point of differentiation. Local flavors and individual places of discovery in each property will draw guests in, stimulate the senses, challenge instincts and enhance individual AURA. This aura is the essence of ME by Meliá. The aura is also the essence of "you" a thought you have had, an impression you have that moves you and that define you. Your aura precedes you. It emanates from you its all around you and its all about you.
The ME by Meliá experience will be realized through the brand's core mottos - Remember Me, Experience Me, Energize Me, and Dare Me. Translating to properties characterized by personalized service and electric atmospheres, ME by Meliá is where dreams turn to reality, whether guests are visiting for work or play.
"Sol Meliá is passionate about delivering exceptional service to our guests," said Luis del Olmo, EVP and Chief Marketing Officer of Sol Meliá. "We recognize there is a certain type of traveller seeking not just opulence and service but also an individualized experience in a vibrant, cosmopolitan atmosphere reflective of their professional needs and personal desires. Through innovative programs, such as the ME by Meliá's Recognition Initiative, the brand builds a unique experience around each customer. ME by Meliá delivers what every guest expects and anticipates what they don't."
Me By Meliá is managed by a team of professionals with great experience in personalised attention. Guy Hensley, Senior Vice President of Operations of the brand, contributes his own varied experience in directing this type of hotel.
The first hotel to open under this new brand is ME Madrid Reina Victoria, the legendary Gran Hotel Reina Victoria located in the Plaza de Santa Ana of Spain's capital city of Madrid. After it's opening in October 2006, the brand will continue with additional openings in dynamic resort and urban destinations such as ME Cancun and ME Cabo San Lucas.
Each property in the ME by Meliá portfolio will include common threads which tie all of them together. Several key partners will help create these chic and fearless atmospheres around the world that are inspired by ME by Meliá's core customer. Nightlife entrepreneur Rande Gerber, along with his brother Scott, founders of After Midnight Company, will create restaurants and lounges that will provide an opportunity for guests to be transported to places that are seductive and at times a bit daring. For ME Madrid Reina Victoria, the Gerbers will fuse their signature bar and lounge concepts with globe spanning cuisine helmed by star Spanish chef Jaime Renedo.
World-renowned architect álvaro Sans collaborated with Keith Hobbs of United Designs and Rebeca Prez of Interarq to create unique ME Hotels in Madrid, Cancun and Cabo San Lucas. Both design teams took turns creating atmospheres that are energetic, unpredictable, and allow for business and social interaction as well as private decadence.
While originality and local influences will be the hallmarks of every ME by Meliá hotel, each property will go beyond delivering the basics that guests have come to expect - 300-thread count linen, down pillow top mattress, complimentary daily newspaper, a fitness center and state-of-the-art business center - to also provide modern day essentials that are demanded as necessary to keep busy professionals plugged in without sacrificing a little bit of fun and a lot of personal flair.
Key features that will be consistent across ME by Meliá hotels include; WI-FI standard in each room, state-of-the-art CD/DVD home theatre system with a 32-inch interactive plasma TV, surround-sound speakers, an extensive library of CD's and DVD's in each room, iPod adaptors and connectivity docking stations and organic, all natural products by AVEDA, which can be enjoyed with luxurious rainfall showerheads. Additionally, guests who arrive without iPods may request a pre-set iPod with over 900 songs to use throughout their stay.
In addition to ME Madrid Reina Victoria, ME Cabo San Lucas and ME Cancun, ME by Meliá hotels are planned in locations such as Barcelona, Seville and Palma de Mallorca. Sol Meliá will continue to seek out additional assets and locations as an ongoing corporate initiative.
About ME by Meliá
ME is a contemporary interpretation of the Meliá experience. It is a brand which seeks to fuse innovative style with local flavors in order to captivate travelers of a common psychographic - those with a decisive taste for cutting-edge art and design, international cuisine and world music - rather than a common demographic. By capturing these elements in urban and resort destinations, this new philosophy ignites a passion in each guest while appealing to their senses and emotions. The experience is unforgettable. Learn more at www.me-by-melia.com.
About Sol Meliá Hotels & Resorts
Founded in 1956 in Palma de Mallorca (Spain), Sol Meliá is the world's largest vacation company. More than half of the industry leader's hotels are located in cities and by far is the largest hotel chain in Spain as well as one of the most important in Europe. Sol Meliá's portfolio includes more than 350 hotels in 30 countries over four continents and it employs over 29.600 people in its Meilá, ME by Meliá, Tryp, Sol, Paradisus and Sol Meliá Vacation Club brands. For more information and reservation visit www.solmelia.com.
About After Midnight Company
Rande Gerber is the founder of Midnight Oil Company and along with his brother Scott are the founders and operators of After Midnight Company. The company, an evolution of their trademark brand, The Whiskey, was created to develop innovative nightlife, hotel, restaurant and lifestyle concepts. Rande Gerber founded The Whiskey nearly 15 years ago, and he has since become the most influential nightlife proprietor in the country.
His extraordinary success with The Whiskey Bars has established Gerber as the pre-eminent tastemaker, with an uncanny ability to create chic, seductive bars with modern glamour that reflect the times and national moods. Since then, the Gerbers have expanded their nightlife brand and vision, developing hotel bars with W Hotels and Ian Schrager. The Gerbers were also tapped by Giorgio Armani to redevelop his Armani Cafes nationwide and by Donald Trump to transform Trump Parc on Central Park, now Whiskey Park.
The Gerbers' newest ventures include CHERRY, a nightclub at the new Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa in Las Vegas, STONE ROSE Lounge at the recently renovated Sofitel Los Angeles, MIDNIGHT ROSE, a restaurant and lounge and THE PENTHOUSE, and a roof top bar, which opens in autumn in the historic Hotel Reina Victoria in Madrid fall 2006. For additional information, visit www.amcbars.com.
About United Designers Europe Ltd
With leading design projects such as the Metropolitan Hotel in London, the Clarence Hotel in Dublin, and Parrot Cay Resort under his belt, Keith Hobbs and his internationally-renowned team, United Designers, are currently working on a vast range of exciting and exclusive projects worldwide.
As well as the exciting Las Ramblas hotel project in Las Vegas, these include the Dolder Grand Hotel in Zurich, the Hard Rock Hotels in Madrid and New York, and Le Meridien Hotel in Dublin. Other projects in the pipeline include The InterContinental Hotel Miami, several hotel projects in Ireland, and the refurbishment of the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans that was due to open the same day New Orleans was devastated by flooding.
The driving force behind the company is their determination to excel, coupled with a sympathy and ethos of design and a passion for everything new and creative. Aside from its reputation, the success of United is based on the fact that the company relishes a challenge and offers a professional level of service and creativity that cannot be beaten. It is the fact that United continues to bring an energy and insight to every project they undertake at a global level that has put the company at the pinnacle of their profession.
For more information, contact:
Maryann Desaulniers/Victoria Martinez/Joshua Cramer-Montes
Dan Klores Communications
212-685-4300