Recently in Le Meridien Category

Dubai is all about the future, with an ambition that's evident in its many new skyscrapers and shopping malls, but this glimmering emirate hasn't forgotten about its past. Visitors hoping to pick up some local history need only to head over to Al Fahidi Fort, which houses the Dubai Museum. Completed in 1799, the restored fort contains artifacts dating back 3,000 years, along with life-size dioramas on what life was like in Dubai before the oil wealth came flooding in. Traditional Arab houses are painstakingly recreated down to the finest detail, and scenes of the merchants and fisherman along the creek and in the bustling souk evoke a simpler era. Among the most impressive exhibits is an overview of the ancient pastime of pearl diving, including the weights and scales used to determine the value of what once once the region's hot commodity. It's an eye-opening destination for those who thought Dubai was invented some time around 1997. Starwood has properties throughout Dubai, including the Four Points by Sheraton Downtown Dubai, the Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina, and Le Méridien Dubai.

Victor Hugo was one of the leading French thinkers of the 19th century, prolific in the fields of arts, letters, and politics. Today, most people today know him for his work as a novelist, and his two most famous books, Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame have made him an enduring legend around the world, with stage and screen adaptations too numerous to mention. Visitors to Paris who are curious to see where Hugo made his magic should visit the Maison de Victor Hugo, the artist's home between 1832 and 1848. It was here in the former Hôtel de Rohan-Guéménee where he penned some of his greatest masterpieces, including much of Les Misérables, a depiction of the lives of the wretched poor that he had seen so much of in the wake of Napoleon's final defeat. The museum is divided into different periods of Hugo's life, with documents, photos, and manuscripts, as well as original furnishings from his living quarters. There's even a library filled with all of his published work, including several biographical works on Hugo. It's an inspiring stop on the French literary map, and a short jaunt from several Starwood properties, including Le Méridien Etoile.

Leo Tolstoy is arguably Russia's most famous writer, and his seminal novel, War and Peace, has been required reading since it was published in the late 1860's. The gripping tale of Russian society during the Napoleonic era - along with Anna Karenina, a stunning work of realist fiction - catapulted Tolstoy from life as a young nobleman to the premier chronicler of the Russian experience. For those who've caught the Tolstoy bug, there is the Tolstoy Museum in Moscow, with memorabilia from his life as well as extensive original manuscripts written in his own hand. Located in a grand Russian Empire-style building on Prechistenka Street, it's an essential stop for any fan of Russian literature. A staff of Tolstoy experts is happy to explain the stories behind the various texts, and gives a regular series of lectures on his life and works. Who knows, the experience might make your postcards home that much more poetic. Starwood has three properties in Moscow, including the luxurious Le Royal Méridien National.

Less than an hour from central Rome, in the town of Tivoli, lie some of the most enchanting gardens in all of Europe. The Villa d'Este, Tivoli was created in the 16th century by the Governor of Tivoli, and while the villa itself is quite breathtaking - with frescoed ceilings and a grand salon - the real attractions here are the spectacular terraced garden and its myriad water features. The early hydraulic engineers and stone masons who created it took advantage of the slope of the property and abundant fresh water from natural springs above to create giochi d'aqua (literally, "water games"), including fountains, water stairs, water chains, jets, grottoes, pools, and canals that crisscross the verdant space. Among the first Renaissance mannerist gardens of its kind to include such extensive water features, the techniques were so admired that noble families across the continent modeled their own gardens on them for the next two centuries. It's a scenic and inspiring way to connect a villa to the earth, and an excellent day trip from the Hotel Eden or any of Starwood's Rome properties.