Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts, part of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR), today announced the opening of Le Méridien Suzhou, Suzhou Bay, marking the brand's debut in Suzhou. With its 2,500-year-long profound history and culture, Suzhou is recognized as one of the China's foremost famous historical and cultural cities. As the first Le Méridien hotel in Suzhou, the hotel will provide curious and creative-minded travellers an opportunity to unlock the destination through the Le Méridien brand lens which highlights coordinates, culture and cuisine.

“We are thrilled to debut the Le Méridien brand in Suzhou. Le Méridien Suzhou, Suzhou Bay is a perfect match for what curious and creative-minded travellers are looking for in their destination discoveries. “ said Stephen Ho, Chief Executive Officer, Greater China, Marriott International. “As the 13th Le Méridien hotel in Greater China with 23 hotels in the pipeline, this hotel is illustrative of the brand's robust growth in this region and is testament to the brand's demand by guests, locals as well as owners and developers in China.”

“We are delighted to be part of Suzhou Bay's development as a tourist destination, and we are truly confident that we will create a unique Le Méridien stay experience for both business and leisure travellers.” added Jan Lu, General Manager of Le Méridien Suzhou, Suzhou Bay. 

New Realm of Inspiration

Le Méridien Suzhou, Suzhou Bay is located in the beautiful Suzhou Bay, the south of Suzhou Taihu New Town. Featuring an integrated French romantic atmosphere with Jiangnan classical character, the hotel is close to Taihu New Town music fountain and richly enveloped by nature within Lake Taihu ecological environment. 285 stylish accommodations, including 20 suites, offer panoramic lake and city views through floor-to-ceiling windows, 6 villa rooms featuring an exclusive hot spring. Contemporary artwork and timeless furnishings create engaging environments for both business and leisure.

The hotel features the signature Le Méridien Hub, which reinterprets the traditional hotel lobby into a social gathering place and builds on the brand arrival experience and coffee culture. Le Méridien Hub comprises signature elements from the Paris-born brand such as a 24-hour soundtrack curated by French Bossa Nova band Nouvelle Vague, a variety of delectable éclairs, and sparkling cocktails inspired by Europe's evening aperitif hour creating an experience that brings curious and creative-minded guests and locals together.

Le Méridien Suzhou, Suzhou Bay presents 3 chic restaurants and 1 lobby lounge. Latest Recipe offers worldwide creative international gourmet buffet. The open kitchen counters create an interactive atmosphere of communication with chefs. Le Mei, the Chinese restaurant mainly offers new-style Huaiyang cuisine and combines with local cuisine, Taihu lake food and selected Cantonese cuisine. The specialty restaurant Suya presents local style dishes, Cantonese dim sum and selected South-east Asian specialties. Lobby Lounge-Latitude 31 offers exquisite tasty refreshments, exotic cocktails, fragrant tea selections and freshly prepared coffee.

An ideal venue for business meetings and social functions. Nearly 4,000 square meters of meeting and banquet facilities, in which there are 2 pillar-less ballrooms with respective area of 1,200 square meters and 600 square meters, 4 function rooms which can meet the various demands of guests, especially the growing trend of hosting auto shows in Suzhou. Additionally, the meeting rooms are well-equipped with a large LED screen and state of art audio-visual equipment. Further, an exclusive grand lawn over 1,000 square meters is a perfect place to meet the needs of atmospheric outdoor social events, including wedding ceremonies and cocktail parties.

For a light-hearted holiday relaxation and recreation at Le Méridien Suzhou, Suzhou Bay. The fully functional Fitness Center offers complete services which include a 25-meter-long indoor swimming pool, gymnasium, SPA and yoga rooms, each of facilities will meet guests' anticipant healthy goals. Ignite the imagination of each kid through an immersive free-play environment and Le Méridien Family Program. The hotel is equipped with a modern designed kids club which located on the ground floor with total area of 218 square meters, it connects to a beautiful outdoor garden and provides a joyful zone for kids to enjoy nature.

Destination Unlocked: Suzhou, the Venice of China

Strategically located in the rapid-developing Suzhou Bay region in Wujiang, Le Méridien Suzhou, Suzhou Bay serves an ideal gateway for discovering a distinctive blend of ancient and contemporary Suzhou. Travellers can easily visit Tongli Ancient Town and Jingsi Garden, or take a short yacht ride from the hotel along Lake Taihu which leads to Emerald Island. The hotel is also part of Taihu New Town, which will be a new home of international modern architecture, art exhibition centers and other leisure projects, allowing guests to unlock modern Suzhou of the 21st Century. 

Meanwhile, the humanistic local culture and art including delicacy Taihu cuisine, Pingtan and Kun Opera are much worth discovering. Travellers should not miss savoring the famous hairy crabs that come from Lake Taihu in autumn.

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Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts

With more than 100 Hotels & Resorts in nearly 40 countries and territories, and the strongest, most globally diverse portfolio in its history, The Paris-born Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts, part of Marriott International, Inc., connects curious and creative-minded travelers to unexpected and engaging experiences within their destination. With its brand promise of “Destination Unlocked,” Le Méridien has transformed numerous guest touch points through global partnerships with creative minds such as illy, Johnny Iuzzini, Gray Malin, and Nouvelle Vague. Plans call for dynamic portfolio expansion within the next five years in some of the world's most exciting destinations. Le Méridien is proud to participate in the industry's award-winning loyalty program, Starwood Preferred Guest®. Members can now link accounts with Marriott Rewards®, which includes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® at members.marriott.com for instant elite status matching and unlimited points transfer. For more information, please visit LeMéridien.com or follow us on social media – Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, and encompasses a portfolio of more than 6,200 properties in 30 leading hotel brands spanning 125 countries and territories. Marriott operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts all around the world. The company also operates award-winning loyalty programs: Marriott Rewards®, which includes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards®, and Starwood Preferred Guest®. For more information, please visit our website at www.marriott.com, and for the latest company news, visit www.marriottnewscenter.com. In addition, connect with us on Facebook and @MarriottIntl on Twitter and Instagram.

Media Contact
Daryl Pan
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Daryl.Pan@marriott.com
Tel: (852) 2192 6202

Alethea Lam
Vice President, Communications APAC, Marriott International
Alethea.Lam@marriott.com

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