Le Méridien: from an Air France crew hotel to a Marriott brand with hotels in the UAE

Le Méridien was founded by Air France in 1972 to house its crews in the cities on its network, and it is now one of the brands Marriott International owns. Marriott describes it as having more than 100 properties across 37 countries. Wikipedia counted 109 open hotels with 29,439 rooms in June 2021, with another 37 hotels and 9,585 rooms in the pipeline.

Five owners in five decades

• 1972: Air France founds Meridien Hotels. The first hotel is a 1,000-room property in Paris, and the chain has 21 hotels within six years.
• 1994: Air France sells its 57.3% stake to the UK-based Forte Group for $207 million.
• 1996: Granada takes control of Forte in January and keeps the 85 Meridien hotels.
• 2001: Nomura Group buys the brand from Compass for £1.9 billion.
• 2005: Starwood acquires it in November.
• 2016: Marriott gains the brand through its Starwood acquisition, in September.

Wikipedia describes the brand as upscale and design-focused with a European outlook. It also records some departures: the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad, built as a Meridien in 1982, left in 1991 after UN sanctions, and the Grand Nile Tower in Cairo, which opened as Le Méridien Cairo in 1974, left the chain in 2002.

In the UAE

A 2013 renovation programme for the Middle East named four UAE properties: Le Méridien Dubai, Le Méridien Mina Seyahi in Dubai, Le Royal Méridien Abu Dhabi and Le Méridien Al Aqah Beach Resort in Fujairah. The brand’s current hotel list should be checked on its website, because names and operators change.

The most recent news in the sources is from Dubai. Time Out Dubai reported in June 2026 that three venues, Lock, Stock The Yard, The Lanes and Lock, Stock and Barrel, are due to open in late 2026 on the Warehouse site at Le Méridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre in Garhoud.

Ras Al Khaimah

In 2023 Marriott and Three Musketeers Hospitality signed for Le Méridien Al Marjan Island Resort & Spa, with 350 keys, seven food and beverage venues, a pool, spa, fitness centre and kids club, and an opening planned by 2026. Three Musketeers Hospitality is a wholly owned subsidiary of the UAE-based Plus Holding Limited. None of the sources reviewed confirms that the hotel has opened or gives a current construction update.

Le Méridien hotels in Dubai are advertising front office and kitchen vacancies, which are listed on this site.