Managing A Hotel With A Unique Atmosphere In Qingdao

Originally from Sweden, Tomas Hansson, the general manager of Le Meridien Qingdao, has held a variety of senior management posts with the Starwood group in China and Europe.

What are the distinguishing features of the hotel's MICE facilities?
For meeting planners, the hotel offers more than 1,824 square meters of meeting and banqueting space to suit every occasion. For greater flexibility, the 1,228 square meter pillarless ballroom can be divided into three areas and an additional seven multi-function rooms are all equipped with state-of-the-art audio-visual facilities and complimentary wireless high-speed Internet access. For other requirements, a well-equipped business center on the sixth floor is available to all meeting guests.

What services will your MICE team supply to guests?
The professional MICE team will coordinate with meeting planners till the meeting completed successfully: Spacious meeting space; Convenient stationery; Creative Coffee and Tea breaks; Innovative meals; State-of-the-art AV equipment; High speed broadband Internet and wireless Internet connections; A specially assigned associate to follow up the whole meeting process; and any other requests from guests.

What special experience will Le Meridien Qingdao bring to the business traveler?
Mixing contemporary culture with European heritage, Le Meridien Qingdao is committed to providing an interactive and culturally enriching experience to the business traveler. We intended to transform the currently functional and transactional experience into an emotional connection. Le Meridien Qingdao creates further intrigue with its unique, sensorial environment by integrating light, sound and scent. In addition to Le Meridien's signature program — Unlock Art — an artist-designed key card unlocks a free visit to Tsingtao Beer Museum to discover a local contemporary cultural experience.

What are your thoughts on the Business travel market and the MICE industry in Qingdao?
The business Travel market and MICE market is developing very fast in Qingdao. In line with the city's development, more and more international companies and meeting planners are aiming to Qingdao. The local MICE market is forecast to increase by 10% as compared 2009 with more than 100 exhibitions and conferences and with more than three million visitors arriving in Qingdao in 2010.