Selling the mystery of the Orient

Staying at a Mandarin Oriental hotel is more like joining a family than checking into a room, says Elliot Wilson. How does the chain sustain such astonishing loyalty among its clientele?

Over a fiery, slap-up meal at the greatest Szechuan cuisine restaurant in the world (Da Ping Huo in Hong Kong, if you’re interested) the subject of the Mandarin Oriental hotel chain came up. A story on this venerable institution had been commissioned by Spectator Business and, since the table contained many of the éminence grises that inhabit the ex-British colony – a natural customer base for any high-end hotel chain – it was a perfect chance to gauge opinion.

Tellingly, the best comments came from two regular Mandarin Oriental customers – both senior figures in Hong Kong’s still-booming investment banking sector. ‘The best thing is the staff,’ said one. ‘They don’t loom over you, but they always seem to be there, existing in a sort of suspended, waiting helpfulness. Like Batman, they somehow know when they’re needed.’

More notable was the contribution from a leading Beijing-born banker. Sighing and leaning back, he offered his considered opinion: ‘Honestly, I would like to retire there.’ To which his wife replied: ‘My dear, I thought you’d never ask.’

The Mandarin Oriental has always somehow transcended the traditional description of what a hotel is – what its purpose is, what it is there for. It’s not the largest hotel chain in the world by a long shot. Britain’s Intercontinental, according to consultancy MKG, owned 3,741 hotels worldwide at the end of 2007, with America’s Marriott and Hilton groups boasting 2,775 and 2,901 respectively. Even the sprawling, relatively upscale Hyatt group has 733.

By contrast, the Mandarin Oriental group boasts just 39 – 18 of which are still under construction. So what is it that makes this group different? Maybe it’s the devotion to detail and luxury afforded to each and every room, restaurant and spa. Or it could be the fact that you are somehow made to feel less like a simple hotel guest and more like an accepted member of a wider family.

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