Review of Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London

Located within one of London’s affluent neighbourhoods, the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London enjoys a unique situation with both an exclusive Royal entrance on the northern Parkside and a public one facing Knightsbridge. 

For those who like to stretch their legs, the hotel sits literally on Hyde Park, the largest of the four Royal Parks in the capital, whilst for shopaholics, the property is also sited directly opposite Harvey Nichols, one of the most exclusive of department stores with Harrods just a five-minute walk away. Between them are a plethora of luxury boutiques, restaurants, and jewellery stores. 

South Kensington is but a short stroll away with other nearby attractions including The Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, the Royal Albert Hall and the Victoria & Albert Museum whilst to the east, lies affluent Mayfair with its noted restaurants and boutiques of Bond Street and Jermyn Street. 

Knightsbridge Underground Station on the Piccadilly Line is a two-minute walk away. The London Heathrow Airport is 23 kilometres away with a journey time of anything from 30 minutes to an hour depending on traffic although many prefer to take the Heathrow Express to London Paddington Railway Station, picking up a taxi for the hop to the hotel. 

For those flying into London Gatwick Airport, the Gatwick Express to London Victoria Station has a journey time of around 45 minutes with a short taxi ride thereafter to the property. Alternatively, the hotel can arrange taxi or limousine transfers to the property.

The renowned interior designer, Joyce Wang, is responsible for the current look and feel of the guest rooms and public areas of the property (except for the spa and the restaurants) which undertook a complete refurbishment in 2019, the most extensive and ambitious in the hotel’s history. 

Taking inspiration from the hotel’s royal heritage and park side location, she turned back to the Golden Age of Travel reinterpreting its retro glamour for the modern age. The feather motif used throughout for instance is taken from the ducks in the park whilst the book collections in some of the rooms were sourced from bookseller Heywood Hill and cover London’s history, botany, jewellery, politics, and royalty. Look down and you will see that the rugs have been custom made with an interpretation of Hyde Park through the seasons. As Hyde Park once formed part of Henry VIII’s hunting grounds, antiques include brass deer and duck figurines placed around the guest rooms with light fixtures made from horsehair, acknowledging the park’s equestrian heritage. 

Rather than heavy mahogany period furnishings, Wang has gone for pale and even transparent materials and a pale grey colour palette enlivened with muted jewel colours to ensure a light, modern touch to the rooms. There are blond wooden furnishings and floors with clear acrylic with metal in evidence.  Each room and suite has a whiff of Art Deco about it and is decorated with carefully selected artworks and custom designed furnishings which include Fromental wallpaper, distressed mirrors, custom made acorn chandeliers, leather topped writing desks and Volakas marble bathrooms. Many also enjoy private terraces and balconies. 

All guest rooms and suites look out over the busy streets of Knightsbridge, an internal courtyard or the quieter vista of Hyde Park and every room comes equipped with GHD hair straighteners, Nespresso coffee makers and Diptyque bathroom amenities. All suites meanwhile have record players with vintage vinyl collections and yoga mats for private use. Personalised butler service is available on request. 

All the accommodation is quite roomy with Superior Rooms starting at 34 square metres overlooking the hotel’s courtyard right up to the peaceful Mandarin Hyde Park Rooms at 45 square metres of space and including a large and light seating area overlooking the park. 

Each of the 40 suites range in size from 47 square metres to the Royal Suite at 242 square metres and the largest at 444 square metres on the hotel’s ninth floor – the Mandarin Oriental Penthouse – which combines the Mandarin Penthouse with the Oriental Penthouse to create this large space. The accommodation consists of three en-suite bedrooms, two private dining rooms seating up to eight people, two beautifully appointed lounges with silk wall coverings and nature inspired artwork, a Library, two kitchens and private terraces overlooking the park. 

The Turret Suites are particularly unique. Located at the top of the hotel’s Edwardian building, the interiors enjoy curved walls, floor to ceiling windows and circular interiors with a ceiling inspired by the bridal paths in nearby Hyde Park. The Royal Suite is indeed fit for a King or Queen with three en-suite bedrooms, Maya Romanoff wallpaper and bespoke rock crystal chandeliers. The sitting room opens out on a balcony accommodating up to 40 guests – perfect for an intimate cocktail party whilst the dining room can seat up to ten people with meals prepared from the kitchen with butler service. The artwork is also unique in that the pieces come from a partnership with the Halcyon Gallery and include original pieces including Andy Warhol, Edgar Degas, Henri Matisse, and Rembrandt.

Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London has one of the best spas and fitness facilities of any Grande Dame hotel in the capital. 

The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, designed by Adam D Tihany, offers 13 treatment rooms with an Oriental Suite for couples with a Rasul water temple; a Chinese Medicine consultation and treatment room; a Bastien Gonzalez Pedi:Mani:Cure Studio and two additional express treatment beauty rooms. Their Heat and Water Oasis includes a sauna, Amethyst Crystal Steam Room, Vitality Pool, and a Zen Colour Therapy Relaxation Area.  

Spa treatments are tailor made to bring balance and equilibrium with a comprehensive menu including Swiss anti-aging brand Nescens, French expertise from Biologique Rescherche and Mandarin Oriental’s own signature therapies together with the best of British natural treatments from OSKIA and Aromatherapy Associates. Various treatments can be enjoyed within the privacy of a guest room along with fitness equipment hire including TechnoGym bikes, benches, treadmills, kettle bells, dumbbells and a TechnoGym Case for private exercise. 

The 24/7 Wellbeing and Fitness Centre offers a range of state-of-the-art equipment by TechnoGym and an indoor 17-metre twin lane, stainless steel heated swimming pool with lap timer. For post work outs, head to the Four Senses Loungers for the ultimate in relaxation. There is also a team of wellness practitioners available and a Movementum Studio, combining the experience of a fitness studio with that of a spa, offering a range of treatments and small, group classes. 

As with all Mandarin Oriental properties, there is also a curated selection of experiences available to guests. At the London property, this could include anything from a Spitfire flight and visit to Bomber Command to a Tea tasting with the Tea Sommelier at The Rosebery. Private tours of The British Museum, Royal Household Cavalry Barracks and The Crown Jewels are also available. 

Children are also welcomed at the hotel with a range of complimentary amenities including cots, fold out beds, mini bathrobes, ducks for the bath, mini umbrellas, storybooks and more. Inter-connecting rooms are available for family use and babysitting is also available if booked in advance.

Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London really came into its own with the 2018 refurbishment under the talented guidance of Joyce Wang and New York designer, Adam D Tihany. This quintessentially British Edwardian residence has been transformed into a luxurious British hotel at the top of its game, with subtle Asian influences paying homage to the brand’s oriental heritage. 

With Hyde Park as the property’s “back garden”, it comes as no surprise that Joyce’s style has encapsulated nature and the changing seasons, bringing the park inside the hotel. Even the hotel’s signature fan designed by no less a personage than fashion designer Jenny Packham enjoys a beautifully delicate leaf theme. 

The Concierge has been busy too in designing some epic experiences for guests to enjoy ranging from a Spitfire flight to visiting the Royal Household Cavalry and even having a private peek at Her Majesty’s Crown Jewels. Pulling in Heston Blumenthal too, perhaps the UK’s most innovative chef, with his fascination with historic British gastronomy – was another master stroke. 

Mandarin Oriental has done something really special here. They have understood the quirky nature of the British and have combined it with an acknowledgement of history and royal heritage. Sometimes it takes a foreign hotel group of the pedigree of this renowned brand to truly understand the true nature of Britishness and to have the courage to run with it.

The very distinctive restaurants and bars offered by Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London has made the property a hot dining destination, enhanced by Adam D Tihany’s interior design. 

Dinner by the two Michelin starred chef Heston Blumenthal is inspired by his fascination with British gastronomic history. Researching recipes from the Royal palaces dating back to the 14th century as well as the dishes featured in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, his menu, created with Executive Chef Ashley Palmer-Watts, fuses this culinary heritage with the contemporary in his inimitable and innovative style. The restaurant’s interiors are light and modern with floor to ceiling windows overlooking Hyde Park, once Henry VIII’s hunting ground. Historic links are many and range from the pulley system to rotate a spit over an open fire to the walls decorated with porcelain wall lights illuminated in the shape of antique jelly moulds. The restaurant features a Chef’s Table for six people, offering intimate insights into the working kitchens with a bespoke menu served directly to the table by the head chef. There is also a Private Dining Space inspired by 16th century Tudor décor, seating up to twelve guests. 

To contrast the robust Britishness of Dinner, The Aubrey London offers a modern interpretation of a traditional Japanese izakaya experience, direct from the Ginza. Created in partnership with Maximal Concepts of Hong Kong, the restaurant features London’s first omakase cocktail bar serving signature and seasonal cocktails together with a collection of rare spirits for a very personalised experience. The food menu is taken from the classical techniques of Edomae sushi, Tempura and Robata with small dishes designed for sharing, paired with expertly prepared drinks, served to the soundtrack of Japanese trap music. 

The feminine appeal of The Rosebery offers a light-hearted and bright venue with chic grey walls, colourful artwork and green velvet seating bringing the colours of the park directly into the hotel. Open throughout the day for light dining and champagne cocktails, this venue is named for Lord Rosebery and was a stylish tearoom in the 1920’s before becoming a meeting room. Restored to its rightful place in 2014, it is now once again serving Afternoon Tea. With signature teas created in conjunction with Canton Tea, today’s Afternoon Tea designed by Head Pastry Chef Emmanuel Bonneau, may be accompanied by either champagne, sake, beers or Alsation wines. Every element is bespoke, even down to the special china tea service also custom made – the Narumi Rosebery China Collection with glassware by John Jenkins. 

For many working Londoners, the Mandarin Bar offers the perfect place to relax with one of the bar’s famous cocktails after a busy day at the office. Enjoying a chic new look from New York designer, Adam D Tihany, the bar offers a discreet yet dramatic space with gold geometric frosted glass walls, a centrepiece catwalk shaped bar with bar seating and overhead copper glass light fittings.

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has a guiding principle of “Acting with Responsibility” through their Naturally Better Plan. As well as embracing global sustainability initiatives such as eliminating single-use plastics, the group has established a programme for responsible procurement including coffee, tea, cocoa, vanilla, paper and seafood. In 2018, the group made a conscious decision to prioritise sustainability in the ways in which they operate, setting up an executive advisory panel for sustainability which guides and champions their initiatives. The UN Sustainable Development Goals serve as an important reference for the panel when deciding how to tackle the pressing issues of energy, water, waste and carbon emissions. 

If a guest is an M.O. fan, they can select their sustainability preferences in their member profiles if they want to reuse their towels and refresh their bed linen less frequently during their stay. They can also opt into using their own toiletries to reduce both waste and plastic usage. 

At Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London they have also eliminated all single use in room amenities with bamboo-based guest toiletries. They have also teamed up with Re-Food Ltd to move their waste from landfills to convert it into green energy. With regards to their discarded soap bars, they have partnered with Clean the World who redistribute soaps and other hotel amenities to some of the world’s most vulnerable communities. 

Fitness members have also been gifted with branded water bottles for use with their new water cooler installation. 

The hotel also has a Responsible Procurement Policy to ensure that any purchase factors in the social and environmental impact. It includes a Supplier Code of Conduct which sets out the standards that any supplier or subcontractor must comply with.