Lifestyle One of London ’s grandest hotels has a new member of the family. Last week I was among the first to set foot in it, the capital’s newest super luxury hotel, Mandarin Oriental Mayfair . Occupying the south-eastern corner of Hanover Square, it’s one of London’s most coveted addresses, and Mayfair’s first new-build hotel in 10 years.
The contemporary exterior is clad with burnt red brick ‘baguettes’, designed to fit in with the Georgian terraces that surround the hotel. It has 50 rooms, all of which are suites, and 77 privately-owned apartments. It is unashamedly opulent, yet still feels personal.
Once inside, surrounded by vast bunches of exotic flowers, marble flooring and dim lighting, the city melts away and it is an island of calm. I can imagine privacy is high on the priority list for guests, with a client rosta of CEOs, royals and high-net-worth individuals from the world of art, fashion and culture. The Mandarin Oriental Mayfair is just a few minutes walk from Oxford Circus, and has a sleeker, more modern feel, an oasis in the middle of London’s busy, crowded shopping streets.
The entrance and reception are shared between the suites and apartments, whose owners can use all the decadence of a hotel while having their own space and privacy. The first Mandarin Oriental in the capital opened in 2000 in Hyde Park and is still very much in swing, in all its lavish splendour. This new hotel has a very different feel.
Less of the bygone grandeur of the .
