The Beginning

For over 60 years, Mandarin Oriental has been established as a leader in luxury hospitality, and has a rich and proud history. Our mission, “to completely delight and satisfy our guests” began with the opening of our flagship property, The Mandarin, in 1963 in Hong Kong. The hotel, which was the tallest building on the island when it opened, soon built up an enviable reputation for service excellence, and instantly became a historic landmark – a status it still holds today.

In 1974 The Oriental in Bangkok, which was already acknowledged as one of the world’s most legendary hotels was partially acquired by the Group, giving the company two “flagship” hotels whose names represented the very best in hospitality.

These two famous hotels joined to create the brand Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group under the renowned fan logo.

Over the next twenty years the Group opened further Mandarin Oriental hotels in Asia and became firmly established as one of the most elegant and luxurious hotel groups, renowned for offering comfortable and well-appointed accommodation, exceptional facilities and some of the finest restaurants and bars in the region. This was underpinned by impeccable service inspired by our Asian heritage, which made Mandarin Oriental the hotels of choice for residents and luxury travellers alike.

In order to bring our individual brand of acclaimed luxury hospitality to a wider market we began extending our reach, embarking on a growth trajectory to establish our award-winning brand in key city and resort destinations around the globe. In 1987 we launched our first US property in San Francisco, and in the mid-1990s, we purchased our London flagship.

2000 – 2005

Our expansion began in earnest in 2000 with the purchase of the prestigious Rafael Group of hotels which immediately increased our portfolio from 14 to 20 unique properties and gave us critical mass across three continents. During this year, we also completed an extensive renovation of Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London and successfully positioned the hotel as one of the finest in the city. We also opened a stylish urban resort in Miami and began the global implementation of our holistic spa concepts.

Today, our extensive collection of holistic spas, which combine Asian and western treatment techniques, achieve numerous individual awards. Mandarin Oriental currently has 13 Forbes “Five-Star” spas across our global portfolio – more than any other hotel brand in the world.

In late 2003, we opened the iconic Mandarin Oriental, New York. This exciting project, located on Columbus Circle firmly established the Group in the all-important US market. During this time, we also successfully launched the first of our Residences at Mandarin Oriental above our New York hotel, offering owners the chance to live a truly luxurious Mandarin Oriental lifestyle. Our expansion in the US continued in 2004 with the opening of Mandarin Oriental, Washington D.C.

In 2005 we opened a second luxury hotel in Hong Kong – The Landmark Mandarin Oriental. This intimate and contemporary property offers spacious, modern facilities combined with Mandarin Oriental’s faultless service, and has proved a resounding success. It was clear by now that we were becoming increasingly renowned for spectacular design, and one of our core competencies has been to build established relationships with internationally acclaimed architects and designers, to create our collection of unique hotels. At the end of 2005 we opened another important milestone property in Tokyo, a hotel which is a fine example of striking design that truly reflects the individuality of its location.

At the same time, we began to further develop our expertise for creating superb in-house restaurants and bars. By working with some of the best chefs in the industry together with encouraging homegrown culinary talent, we offer guests innovative and exciting dining experiences that are exclusive to Mandarin Oriental. Today, we have 27 Michelin stars in 17 restaurants and across a global portfolio of 33 hotels.