Shanghai is bursting with new hotel openings that will help alleviate the shortage Shanghai encounters when big conventions come to town. One new hotel, Le Royal Méridien Shanghai, provides business people with a new place to stay in Shanghai's bustling People's Square area. Not only is the hotel's opening a boon for the city, but it also heralds the first China opening for a Le Méridien branded hotel after Starwood acquired the international brand.

Originally from Australia, Akram Touma is the new General Manager at the Le Royal Méridien Shanghai. Touma was appointed to this current position in early April 2006, and prior to that he was General Manager of The Westin Resort Macau for 5 years.

What are the key matters you are concerned with during pre-opening?
Procurement of hotel operating equipment, which is time consuming, recruiting the right team and establishing the right culture from the beginning.

How is Le Royal Méridien Shanghai preparing itself to meet the needs of the meetings and conferencing market?
We have world-class facilities, the best possible location and support from the powerful systems of Starwood and complemented by a very competent and highly motivated team

How are you planning to differentiate Le Royal Méridien Shanghai's MICE facilities from those of your Shanghai competitors?
Le Royal Méridien Shanghai is the newest 5-star luxury hotel in Shanghai with a very privileged location on Nanjing Road East overlooking the People's Square, museum and opera house. We have 10 bars and restaurants and 12 state-of-the-art ballrooms and function rooms with natural light and wireless Internet. Our chic rooms have stunning views of the Bund, river and Shanghai city. We are not just ideal for corporate meetings and conference–we are a dream come true for every conference organizer.

Together with other 5 star-hotels, we will make Shanghai the preferred destination for global conferences.

How is Le Méridien being integrated into Starwood and what are the benefits to this unification?
Le Méridien is the perfect match for Starwood with strong European heritage and presence in key cities in Europe, Africa and the Middle East that makes Starwood stronger. With Starwood's formidable marketing delivery system, Le Méridien is now poised for further success.

I worked for Le Méridien many years ago and kept in touch with many of my former bosses and colleagues. I can tell you that the Meridien folks are as excited about the merger as we are. We have become a bigger family of well-defined brands.

How is Le Méridien planning to grow its brand in China in the next few years?
There is a tremendous potential of growth within China. We are seeing a lot of interest from the investment community and I am sure China will enjoy more Le Méridien hotels in the near future.

For your staffing needs, what sort of qualities do you look for in your executive team?
We look for great people with commitment to each other and an authentic caring attitude.

If a tourist has 24 hours to spend in Shanghai, what do you suggest they do?
- A walk on Nanjing Lu East (pedestrian part)
- Shanghai Museum
- The Bund
- Yu Yuan Gardens
- Huangli Lu Computer Market
- Dinner at the Bund

(average: 1.00 out of 5)

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