The Programme

Every guest who checks into Le Méridien around the world will receive a room key that does more than open a room - it opens access to a local contemporary cultural experience and is a work of art itself. The key art becomes a collection (UNLOCK ART* COLLECTION 2008) of works that Le Méridien features throughout the experience. In addition, Starwood will launch partnerships with contemporary cultural institutions at every Le Méridien location to encourage guests to explore the modern culture of the destination. To support the experience for the guests, Starwood Associates will undergo an immersion by the cultural institution and will therefore be conversant in the local institution as well as the artist who created the key art.

Le Méridien St Julians Hotel & Spa is glad to feature the art work of Michael Lin on its room keyscards...

Many years ago, as political protest and dissent shook his native Taiwan, artist Michael Lin made a conscious decision to turn inward for inspiration. The vicissitudes of domestic life - rather than the political currents shaping the public sphere - gave way to what become Lin's signature flower motifs. Using the patterns and shapes on four traditional pillows as aesthetic touchstones, Lin created his first floralscapes which have become a signature motif of his work. Those floral motifs - highly attuned to Taiwanese visual language - have ironically proved to be some of the most politically and culturally resonant of Lin's work.

Those floralscapes - often projected onto walls or splayed across floors - have also allowed Lin to transgress traditional notions of what constitute the spatial and thematic boundaries of art. Resisting the confinements of traditional canvases and frames, Michael Lin has long used art as a means to explore and impact how people come to understand space - from domestic spaces to skateboarding parks, from art galleries to hotel lobbies. He routinely plumbs "the behavioral aspects of how the public interacts with space... or what spaces demand from the public", Lin says.

Lin's exclusive keycard creations for Le Méridien's UNLOCK ART programme are the core of his partnership with Le Méridien and his role within LM100*. Using his signature floral motifs, Lin designed the first set of UNLOCK ART keycards. As guests have started to use these cads to open doors and access experiences at local contemporary cultural institutions, the keycards themselves have not only become a testament to Lin's gifts as an artist but works of art in and of themselves

Your UNLOCK ART experience at Le Méridien St Julians Hotel & Spa...

Immerse in the captivating ambiance of Le Méridien St Julians Hotel & Spa and be greeting upon arrival with a hotel room keycard that is everything but ordinary. Decorated with some inspiring art work of Michael Lin, Taiwanese artist, your room key will open more than doors.

Once in the contemporary comfort of your room, browse through your discovery envelop and find your "Unlock Art Institution Pass". This Pass, together with your room key, will open the doors of St James Cavalier, Centre for Creativity. Indeed, our UNLOCK ART initiative allows all Le Méridien guests to immerse in the local culture at no extra charge.

St James Cavalier, Centre for Creativity first opened its doors to the public on the 22nd September 2000.
As the Maltese Government's Millennium Project it has taken on the role of pushing forward Malta's cultural aspirations.

With a strong commitment to supporting the contemporary creative scene, the Centre's philosophy is to also take in, reflect and support the country's traditional and historical heritage and culture. In its first two years, the centre has welcomed both local and foreign artists, writers, singers and actors, dancers, musicians as well as thinkers, scientists and other creators. It has staged operas and premiered plays, held major exhibitions of contemporary pieces as well as past masters

Learn More about St James Cavalier, Center for Creativity here.

 * LM100 is a group of cultural innovators and artists who define and enrich the guest experience at Le Méridien. The group comprises a global array of visionaries, from painters to photographers, musicians to designers, chefs to architects. Learn More about LM100 here.