Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park undergoes renovation
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park is set to re-open in April following the most extensive restoration in its 117-year history. After unveiling the new-look public spaces in December 2018, the hotel will reveal all new guestrooms and suites, including two penthouse suites.
Joyce Wang has overseen the redesign of all guestrooms and suites, along with the creation of the hotel’s new penthouses, taking inspiration from the peaceful parkside location, as well as the glamour of the early 20th century’s Golden Age of travel. Each of the 181 rooms and suites feature art deco-inspired details including carefully curated artworks and custom-designed furniture.
The hotel’s 40 suites are located within the turrets of the building, and range in size from the smallest at 47m² to the three-bedroom Mandarin Oriental Penthouse at 444m². There’s also two penthouse suites, the Mandarin Penthouse and the Oriental Penthouse, which can be interconnected to create one of London’s largest suites with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a private dining room, two kitchens and expansive views of Hyde Park and the London skyline.
In every suite, guests will find a host of special additions ranging from libraries curated by the well-known historic London bookseller, Heywood Hill, to yoga mats for private practice. All accommodation comes equipped with GHD hair straighteners, Nespresso coffee makers, his and her Miller Harris bathroom amenities and Jo Hansford hair products.
“Mandarin Oriental is enormously proud of the heritage of this historic hotel,” says Amanda Hyndman, General Manager and Area Vice President of Operations. “The scope and intricate detail of this momentous renovation is designed to ensure this iconic London establishment is recognised as one of the finest hotels in the world. We look forward to welcoming our guests with kind and intuitive service that is truly British but reflective of our Oriental heritage.”
Meanwhile, New York designer Adam D. Tihany has overseen the redesign of the next-generation Spa at Mandarin Oriental, which features 13 individual treatments rooms, an Oriental Suite with two massage beds and a Rasul water temple, a room designed for traditional Asante Chinese Medicine consultations and treatments and a Bastien Gonzalez Pedi:Mani:Cure Studio – the first of its kind in the UK.
Tihany has also overseen a light refurbishment of Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, Bar Boulud, London and Mandarin Bar. The Rosebery, known as the Bennett Tearoom in the 1920s, will offer a special 1920s Afternoon Tea, while Mandarin Bar has created a series of cocktails named after celebrated guests and iconic events that took place within the hotel.
Having hosted royal parties and glamorous events since the 1900s, the hotel’s Ballroom and Loggia have also been restored to include 24-carat gilding of many original features. Both venues offer access from the park via a private Royal entrance. The renovation further includes a hand-painted Butterfly Terrace by artist Leah Wood, along with two new versatile meeting spaces, Asquith and Balfour, for private meetings and social events.
Wang was also commissioned to transform the lobby lounge and reception area, which now blend seamlessly with The Rosebery’s nature inspired décor. Contemporary materials like acrylic are juxtaposed with more traditional finishes such as blond burl wood, while glass chandeliers enhance the entrance and reception artwork by Fredrikson Stallard is an abstraction of the textured and layered bark of the Plane Tree – the signature tree of Hyde Park.
