Venetian, Le Meridien Partner To Boost Las Vegas Biz

LAS VEGAS— The Venetian Resort Hotel/Casino and London-based Le Meridien Hotel Group have formed a strategic marketing alliance to help revitalize travel back to this city from European and Asian markets, which fell off in the aftermath of the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks. The alliance provides The Venetian with the ability to tap into Le Meridien’s network of 1,000 international salespeople and clientele that are part of its 144-property (38,631 rooms) portfolio, which include the Grosvernor House in London, the Ritz in Madrid, the Eden in Rome, Le Meridien Grand Pacific in Tokyo and Le Royal Meridien, Bangkok. “This international alliance will help Las Vegas to recapture the worldwide travel market that has been impacted by the September 11th terrorist attacks, said Rob Goldstein, president of The Venetian. “We look forward to bringing European and Asian travelers to Las Vegas during low demand American traveler time periods. With a demographic profile very similar to ours, we are especially delighted to have formed this partnership with a company as highly regarded as Le Meridien. “On behalf of our customers, we have been charged with finding the right strategic partner in Las Vegas, said Juergen Bartels, Le Meridien’s chief executive. “This alliance is the ideal fit for our clientele and will bring The Venetian international marketing strength to drive business into the resort and into the city of Las Vegas. The Venetian offers guests 3,036 hotel suites, 120,000 square feet of gaming space, 500,000 square feet of retail space at The Grand Canal Shoppes, the 65,000 square-foot Canyon Ranch SpaClub, 500,000 square feet of meeting space at The Venetian Congress Center and a direct link to the 1.2 million-square-foot Sands Expo and Convention Center. Le Meridien also has a strategic alliance with JAL-owned Nikko Hotels, providing guests access to an additional 40 properties worldwide Le Meridien was purchased by Nomura International plcs Principal Finance Group in July 2001 and merged with Principal Hotels, acquired by Nomura in February 2001.