Le Meridien Zhengzhou

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

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.

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.

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.