The six-month-old Le Méridien Putrajaya is marketing its unique location within the lush IOI Resort City, and capitalising on the weak ringgit to attract business event buyers.
Tan Lee Fong, director of sales and marketing, Le Méridien Putrajaya, said the ringgit which had weakened considerably against major regional currencies and the US dollar since November last year, has resulted in more enquiries from regional business event planners for activities in 1Q2017 and beyond.
Millennium Grand Ballroom
To capture the business, she said the hotel sells its location within a resort city, which is next to an 18-hole golf course and linked to IOI City Mall – the largest shopping mall in the Southern Klang Valley.
The hotel is using its unique location to develop golf meeting packages and teambuilding events that involve the shopping mall’s tenants, including an ice-skating rink, a bowling alley and a Tesco general department store.
One such teambuilding event that was recently held involved cooking at the foyer near the poolside where teams were given the task of sourcing and purchasing ingredients at Tesco and preparing certain local dishes as part of a challenge.
“With competition from other hotels, you have to give more than the usual offerings to grab the attention of meeting planners,” said Tan, with some of the perks during meetings being free-flow snacks, coffee and tea for delegates at interactive kitchen stations on the meeting floors.
Another aspect that sets Le Méridien Putrajaya apart from other hotels in the area, according to Tan, is the large number of meeting facilities within the premises. There are 15 meeting rooms and a pillarless ballroom that can accommodate up to 1,000 people in a theatre seating.
