In the biggest top-to-toe revamp in its 117 year history, which was delayed by a fire last summer, London’s landmark Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park has finally emerged from behind the massive hoarding designed by Sir Peter Blake.
A crack team – including local architects Purcell, Hong Kong-based design maven Joyce Wang and hospitality design guru Adam Tihany – have worked behind the scenes to spruce up all 181 rooms and public spaces.
Wang took her cues from the hotel’s perch, right on the city’s beloved Hyde Park, and subtly layered the interiors with her signature modern luxe aesthetic inspired by the early 20th-century’s golden age of travel. And so, curved art deco-inspired custom-designed furnishings, hand-etched mirrors, rich leather tufted headboards, Volakas marble-lined bathrooms, and hand-painted gilded silk wall coverings are highlighted with details like the acorn-inspired light fittings, carpets that nod to autumn leaves, bark-effect wall coverings and horsehair light sconces.
The two restaurants – Bar Boulud and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal – and the bar have each received a light update, courtesy, once again of Tihany, who was also behind the hotel’s new spa. Here, there is a new Oriental Suite featuring a Rasul water temple and a Bastien Gonzalez Pedi:Mani:Cure Studio, while Chinese symbolism, like the floral art walls that represent both rebirth and the flow of energy, is the perfect setting for the updated wellness-focused menu. This also includes traditional Asanté Chinese Medicine consultations and signature treatments like the Oriental Qi, using bespoke signature oils created together with Aromatherapy Associates.
Elsewhere, the hotel’s iconic marque of the open fan for the lobby has been reinterpreted by Jenny Packham, the British designer fashioning the rosewood spokes on the railings of the gates of Apsley House, and sprinkling sequins and Swarovski crystals drops over organza chestnut leaves. §
