With an eye on attracting American tourists, Le Meridien in Pune is set for a makeover and an upgrade within the Starwood Hotels hierarchy as it morphos into a brand that is more familiar to Americans.

Work on transforming the hotel, that was amongst the first 5-star hotels in the city, is on, and a few weeks on, the property will emerge as Sheraton Grand, making the Pune property only the second under this brand in the country. In the 11-brand Starwood line-up, Sheraton Grand is positioned below super-luxury brands St Regis, The Luxury Collection and W, and a notch above Westin, Le Meridien and Sheraton.

“In Pune, thanks to the presence of large American corporates in relatively new business districts like Magarpatta City, Eon IT Park and Hinjewadi, 65 per cent of the business traveller is US-based,” explains Jaswinder Narang, General Manager, Le Meridien, Pune.

The entire makeover, that will be done in phases and involves re-doing a total of 180-rooms, setting up Sheraton signature restaurants like Feast, Bene (Italian) and Link at Sheraton, amongst other changes will involve an expense of some ₹50 crore, Narang says, adding that therapists from Bhutan are also being trained to operate the Shine Spa.

The American influence is also visible in other luxury brands in the city. A few weeks ago, Hilton Hotels opened the first of its uber luxury brand Hilton Conrad in India at Pune, while Marriott International has upgraded one property to JW Marriott even as its super luxury brand Ritz Carlton is under development.

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