This is a stupid question, but it’s bugged me each time I’ve written about Starwood’s Le Meridien brand. First off, Le Meridien joined the Starwood Family in 2005. It started in 1972 as a home away from home for the passengers (assuming crew too) of Air France. The term meridien (or meridian in English) means a circle of constant longitude passing through a given place on the Earth’s surface.
So here’s my question, when discussing the hotel, is calling it “the Le Meridien” duplicative? The The Meridien? I just think it sounds odd, when writing in English, not to use the English language article “The” + the French name “Le Meridien”. Take a look at these two sentences and see which one sounds better:
- I stayed at the Le Meridien last night.
- I stayed at Le Meridien last night.
To me #1 sounds much better. What do you think? Have you ever thought about this? Do I have to much time on my hands?