New General Manager appointed at Le Meridien Angkor

(PRLEAP.COM) Siem Reap: July 2007 - Taking the baton of the luxury resort Le Meridien Khao Lak in December 2005, Anderson had only one way with go; up, and fast. In the wake of troubled times for the region’s tourism market, Anderson architected a new approach and positioned the Resort with a seamlessly branded message of Khao Lak as a luxurious “must visit” destination.

And a year on, this hot spot, known by those who “know” as Phuket North Shore, boasted higher than ever numbers from as far away as Scandinavia.

With an aim to generate sustainable growth and stabilize business, Anderson applied classic marketing strategies to obtain record results. He reflected, “I examined the market and asked, what can we offer that is truly unique? This destination delivers unspoiled natural landscape and an endless beach. We simply aligned the product with the people who want that.”

The result emerged as six months of steady numbers ahead of expected revenue for rooms and performance better at GOP line than was achieved before the 2004 tsunami. “With a steady business platform now firmly in place, the resort was positioned on track for runaway success.” Anderson said.

Anderson guided the resort to win both Asia’s Leading Spa Resort and Thailand’s Leading Spa Resort at the World Travel Awards in 2006. Indeed an unexpected and grand accomplishment for a hotel open less than a year. The World Travel Awards are highly regarded as they are awarded by industry colleagues. Recognition for a new property such as Le Méridien Khao Lak is rare and tribute to the rapid recovery as well as exceptional quality of the experience of being there.

“Global recognition through both industry and media support was pivotal to coming back strong.” Anderson said. He continued, “We recognized both as partners in helping us communicate our message and pushed that through all available distribution channels.” The resort has hosted numerous fashion, lifestyle, and travel journalists from print and television media as well as generated much interest from international news bodies for its contribution to resurgence in tourism in the area.

Anderson first established himself in South East Asia’s upscale hotel brands with the launch of Le Royal Méridien Bangkok. He then joined Le Méridien’s London Head Quarters where he contributed to corporate global marketing initiatives before returning South East Asia as Area Marketing Director, to concurrently rebranded the Plaza Athenee to a Royal Meridien and launched Le Méridien Angkor. Within one year, occupancy at the Plaza Athenee had doubled while Le Méridien Angkor had received its positioning platform for its current successes.

His proven success at reaching market potential for his hotels has earned Anderson the position of General Manager and with mission accomplished, Anderson departed Khao Lak in Q1 of 2007 with the property enjoying 80% plus occupancies. Anderson remarked. “Le Meridien Khao Lak’s comeback is deeply satisfying. This new posting to market leader Le Meridien Angkor is fantastic. The hotel is superbly positioned in the market and ready to consolidate further” he said.

Le Méridien Angkor is located in the heart of Siem Reap nearest to the ancient temples of Angkor Wat.

Mr Anderson is pleased to join this well established team in what he refers to as a very welcoming environment, “There is truly no other place like it, the surrounding community is distinctly old world French with al fresco cafés and authentic cuisine, all juxtaposed beautifully by an ancient civilization still very much alive today.”


Discover more simply e-mail reservations.angkor@lemeridien.com , call the hotel directly +855 63 963 900 or visit www.lemeridien.com/angkor

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Notes to Editors:
Le Méridien
Le Méridien brand, currently represented by more than 120 properties in 52 countries, was acquired by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide in November 2005. With close to 70 percent of its properties located in Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East, Le Méridien provides a strong international complement to Starwood’s primarily North American holdings. Plans call for dynamic expansion of Le Méridien-branded hotels within the next five years, concentrating in the U.S., Latin America, and Asia-Pacific, including destinations such as India, Thailand and China.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with approximately 850 properties in more than 95 countries and 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood® Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels and resorts with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, Sheraton®, Westin®, Four Points® by Sheraton, W®, Le Méridien® and the recently announced AloftSM and ElementSM Hotels. Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com

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