Central China is where the country's first civilizations were founded, and Le Meridien has chosen to launch a brand new hotel in Zhengzhou, Henan province. Pauline D. Loh examines the reasons for the venue.

Branding a hotel in a competitive market such as China is a challenge, and it needs wit and wisdom to think up unique selling points that will persuade guests to come.

That the Le Meridien group should choose to launch its first hotel in Central China in Zhengzhou seemed puzzling at first, but once we understood the rationale we were left wondering why no one thought of it before.

The Le Meridien in Zhengzhou proudly stands in the city center in Henan province's capital. Photos Provided to China Daily

Zhengzhou is not a shining beacon on the modern Chinese map, at least not by current references. It is the capital of Henan province, and known more for its gathering of auto manufacturers than anything else.

However, roll back the scrolls of history, and you will discover that this was where it all started.

As early as the Neolithic period, and onwards through the times of the Yellow Emperor, and the Western Zhou, Xia and Shang Dynasties, this was where the action played out. This is the cradle of Chinese civilization.

Zhengzhou now goes down in hospitality history as the place Le Meridien had chosen to launch its global re-branding, and the city where its flagship for Central China will fly.

Using the Three Cs of coordinates, culture and cuisine, global brand leader for Westin and Le Meridien Hotels Brian Povinelli elaborated on the strategy at the launch campaign, and explained how these factors can unlock the destination for hotel guests.

Using the Zhengzhou Le Meridien as an example, the first principle of helping guests get the right coordinates would mean showing them the city's geographical and historical perspectives.

This is also brought right home in the hotel's Latitude 36 lounge, where the high walls and subdued lighting are direct references to the nearby Longmen Grottoes, one of China's three ancient cave systems harboring thousands of Buddhist statues and carvings from the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

Culture, the next, is easy in Zhengzhou, where the museum is a haven for scholars and visitors seeking to understand how Chinese civilization evolved. Le Meridien also works with international and Chinese artists in bringing culture on site.

Art installations are carefully distributed throughout atriums and strategic entrances in the hotel, and range from Astroturf sculptures of a bear and rabbit to a digitally animated edition of the famous artwork River Scenes During the Qingming Festival, first shown at the World Expo in Shanghai a few years ago.

Other works include a sculpture depicting the evolution of luggage in the lobby and a gigantic stack of out-sized blue porcelain outside the all-day dining restaurant, Latest Recipe.

In a country where eating is a priority, introducing cuisine to guests is probably the easiest.

At the Le Meridien in Zhengzhou, that introduction spans food and drink, and cuts across borders to include both regional and international cuisine, including coffee specials and adding a sparkling element to cocktails.

But what impresses most is the level of genuine hospitality that Le Meridien Zhengzhou has mastered. When every hotel in both first- and second-tier city is screaming for good servers and staff, the standards here are raised far above the normal bars.

This is especially notable since the hotel is in its opening stages, and also that it is in a city where skilled staff must be hard to recruit.

While all hotels value staff who can impress guests, I found the service here truly exceptional.

Our server at breakfast could call me by name and remember that I preferred an orange and carrot juice by the next morning.

My room-service attendant noted my pallor after I fell ill, and immediately brought up a pot of freshly brewed ginger tea, unasked.

After seeing me struggle with my mineral water bottle, the attentive chambermaid made sure the bottles placed the next day were all easy to uncap.

And, a senior manager, seeing how I enjoyed the little chocolate kung fu figurine placed in my room, made sure it was packed up for me when I was ready to go home.

It is these little touches that make guests remember a hotel, and it is the attention to detail, too, that will draw them back repeatedly. Le Meridien Zhengzhou has more than done the global brand name proud.

Contact the writer at paulined@chinadaily.com.cn.

Textured high walls and subdued lighting in Latitude 36 is a reference to the Longmen Grottoes nearby.

(China Daily 03/01/2014 page13)