Starwood Hotels & Resorts recently opened the doors of their newest hotel, Le Méridien Taipei. Located in the most cosmopolitan district of Taipei - Xinyi District - and steps away from local cultural offerings, Le Méridien's first hotel in Taiwan ushers in a new dimension of timeless elegance and will be the gathering place for the creative guests, with an emphasis on the arts, an inspiring atmosphere, and innovative cuisine.

Chic and minimalistic, the 160-room Le Méridien Taipei goes beyond the traditional five-star hotel experience. This property introduces the signature arrival experience programme for the Le Méridien brand in Taiwan, a comprehensive contemporary art program "light and shadow; two inspiring new restaurant concepts : "Humble House" and "Latest Recipe", an innovative coffee and chocolate café "ChocoArt", the stylish lobby lounge bar "Latitude 25" and destination bar "Quube".

The Arrival Experience
In conjunction with its opening, Le Méridien Taipei has unveiled a signature arrival experience for its guests. "Inner Waves 01", an artwork created for Le Meridien by artist Hisham Bharoocha, is a element designed to reset the guest's mind upon arrival, to leave the outside world behind.

Once through the hotel doors, guests will be enveloped by the brand's signature scent, sound and use of light. Eddie Roshi + Fabrice Penot, LM 100 members and founder of Le Labo, the innovative perfume house with stores in New York, Paris, Los Angeles and Tokyo, have created a bespoke scent for Le Méridien hotels.

Called LM01, this scent has been designed based on a construction inspired by Meridian lines and shall evoke memories for guests, and create a sense of home.

Le Méridien has also transformed the expected and mundane event of riding an elevator into an "elevated experience" through the use of sound. Henri Scars Struck, an LM100 member uses a mix of natural beats with music to create a 24 hour soundscape of "forgotten sounds" that is played in the elevators, making it an engaging experience for guests and evoking curiosity and dialogue.

A final component of the arrival experience is the Le Méridien UNLOCK ART programme, which includes an artist-designed key card collection that offers access to more than a hotel room. Le Méridien Taipei's keycard has been created by Michael Lin, an LM100 member of the group, and is intended to become a collector's item that will grant guests complimentary access to a local cultural institution - the Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei.