Review: Mandarin Oriental Mayfair is a luxury hotel for everyday life

Vivienne Westwood, the late doyenne of punk fashion, may not have been the most obvious bedfellow for the elegant Mandarin Oriental brand. But the Hong Kong-based hotel group needed someone to design the signature fan for its latest opening in Mayfair, and only Westwood would do. It would be her last project before she passed away in 2022, aged 81.

Each Mandarin Oriental property gets its own fan, which then becomes that hotel's emblem. The fan for the Mandarin Oriental Mayfair would have to be extra special because, aside from being the group's newest property in London, it would also be the first fan to be designed and made entirely in Britain in 70 years.

It shows the blue and red silhouettes of a man and woman dancing before the sketched outline of Hanover Square, where the Mandarin Oriental Mayfair opened in 2024 (and a short stroll from the Vivienne Westwood boutique on Conduit Street). Look closely and you will see that, actually, Hanover Square is upside-down. That was a necessary but happy concession to the shape of the fan – and it works. The design is imbued with energy and it is easily the loudest and most chaotic fan of the Mandarin Oriental family. Would you really expect anything less from a designer who was as happy creating a bondage suit in the 1970s as she was a silk fan for an elegant Asian brand? When you walk in the entrance, you will find it on the wall, next to the concierge desk.

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What makes Mandarin Oriental Mayfair special

But why did London need a second Mandarin Oriental in the first place? It already had the rather grand-looking Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park not too far away. The Mayfair property, it was explained to me, was to have more of a “boutique” feel to it. Unlike its noble Victorian sibling to the west, the Mayfair hotel is a new build – one designed to settle in quietly among its wealthy neighbours rather than to stand out as an architectural statement. As for Hanover Square, it is a relatively quiet corner, tucked into the busy intersection that is Oxford Circus.

Consider, too, that the hotel has 77 residences, but only 50 rooms and suites for visitors and you begin to get a sense of its raison d'être. This is no grande dame of London, but rather a luxury hotel for everyday life – “everyday”, that is, if life is nipping out to Savile Row around the corner and popping into the scattering of upmarket boutiques. So, it may sound like a bit of a cliché, but the Mandarin Oriental Mayfair was created to be a home from home. It feels very much like a sanctuary.

For starters, there's the spa downstairs in the basement. The dark tiles of the long swimming pool are stylishly lit, and off to the sides, you will find the vitality pools, steam room and sauna. Moving upstairs, you come to the Atrium Restaurant, with its iconic spiral staircase and large overhanging sculpture on the wall by Charlie Whinney. It offers a menu of Asian fusion cuisine. The Mandarin Oriental Mayfair is even home to its own late-night jazz den in the form of Esmeralda's. There is no shortage of nooks in which to relax.

Several floors further up, our “Mayfair” signature suite was massive. It had floor-to-ceiling windows all the way along, and it certainly felt light and airy. But it struck me there wasn't actually a view from the windows – nothing of note at any rate. Then, it dawned on me. The view is within, not without. The eye is drawn to the polished red marble in the kitchen and the large bathroom with a separate double shower and a tub (home to “Doug”, the rubber Mandarin duck).

The spectacle is in the arty chandelier above the round dining table. Most impressively, it is in the hand-painted silk wallpaper, created by London design house de Gournay in the bedroom and especially the dressing room. It is magnificent – a tableau of birds and butterflies on floral branches. How often can you say the walk-in wardrobe was one of your favourite spaces? To commit the crime of using a second cliché, the Mayfair suite is your own cosy nest.

Home never tasted as good as dinner at Mazarine

I say there wasn't a view outside, but that isn't entirely true. You just need to go to the rooftop. Here, you will find the Hanover Bar and its cocktail menu inspired by the local area. Naturally, I gravitated towards The Hanover – a concoction of plum-infused whiskey, umeshu sake and vanilla amontillado sherry. “When in Rome…” The Hanover Bar has an outside terrace with a view of the London skyline – it is an elegant spot to come for an aperitif.

Dinner was to be found at street level, at Mazarine. This is a stylish, upmarket French restaurant serving classic dishes centred around seafood, with a contemporary twist. It is, for instance, home to the famous Croque Mazarine, made with black truffle and blue lobster. The blue-fin tuna tartare, served with a drizzle of ten-year-old olive oil (£24), was a particular highlight of the meal, as was the grilled red mullet, served with a light and bright Provençal artichoke barigoule sauce (£33). A posh take on familiar favourites, then – what says Mayfair more than that?

Chris was a guest of Mandarin Oriental Mayfair. From £1,000 a night; visit mandarinoriental.com.

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