Le Meridien expands in North America
2 February 2010Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide announced that the Minneapolis-based Chambers has joined Le Méridien, the Paris-born hotel brand, with an international presence of 105 hotels and resorts.
The addition of Chambers has increased the brand's footprint to 10 hotels in North America. Opened in 2006 by art collector Ralph Burnet, Chambers is considered one of the world's top art hotels, featuring more than 250 original artworks by such noted artists as Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and Gavin Turk. The hotel has been renamed Le Méridien Chambers Minneapolis. Behind the hotel's mahogany double doors, guests are greeted with an eclectic mix of original, contemporary art by internationally renowned artists. Video monitors line the guestroom corridors with a constant display of award-winning video art. The stairs feature Elemental, the five-story mural that runs the entire height of the hotel's main stairwell. In the hotel's Burnet Gallery, guests may purchase works by international, national and local artists. Designed by Rockwell Group, the hotel wraps around Eden, an open-air, grotto-style lounge courtyard that is open year round and features a large, 10 feet square gas fire pit. During the winter months, a portion of Eden transforms into Ice Chamber, a 256 feet bar created from 12,000 pounds of crystal clear ice. A fifth floor lounge offers a 360-degree vistas of the downtown Minneapolis skyline via floor-to-ceiling glass walls and a surrounding balcony. D'Amico Kitchen, the hotel's restaurant offers contemporary Italian fare by the Twin Cities' legendary restaurateurs, Larry and Richard D'Amico. Live streaming video of the restaurant's behind-the-scenes activity is projected nightly on a massive screen on one of Eden's courtyard walls. Le Méridien Chambers features 60 guestrooms, including six suites and nine junior suites. All the guestrooms feature original artwork and are furnished with contemporary furniture, platform beds with custom mattresses and 400-thread-count, Egyptian cotton bed linens. Rooms are equipped with 42" plasma TVs, complimentary high-speed and Wi-Fi Internet access, and iPod docking stations, and alarm clocks. Spacious closets and wardrobes in each guestroom are ideal for long-term stays.
