MandarinOriental Hotel Group International Limited is a Hong Kong-based hotel investment and management group focusing on luxury hotels, resorts, and residences, with a total of 33 properties worldwide, 20 of which are fully or partially owned by MOHG. The Mandarin Oriental name was established in 1985 following the merger of Mandarin International Hotels Limited and the holding company of the hotel The Oriental, in which Mandarin had already acquired a 49% stake in 1974. Mandarin's history traces back to the 1963 opening of its namesake hotel The Mandarin, whereas The Oriental had opened in 1876 as the Kingdom of Siam's first luxury hotel. MOHG is a subsidiary of the publicly-traded Mandarin Oriental International Limited, which itself is a subsidiary of Jardine Matheson.
History
Although 1876 was the ‘official’ opening year of the Oriental Hotel, the origin of the ‘Oriental’ side of the Mandarin Oriental can be traced back as early as 1863, when two Americans, Captain Atkins Dyer and William West, opened the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok, Siam : however, the original building burnt down only two years later, on 11 June 1865. However, the history of the ‘Mandarin’ side of the group is comparatively recent: the Mandarin hotel opened only in 1963, in the Central District of Hong Kong Island. In 1973, The Excelsior Hotel, which closed in 2019, opened in Causeway Bay. In 1974, Mandarin International Hotels Limited was formed as a hotel management company, with the intention to expand into Asia. That year, the company acquired a 49% interest in the Oriental Hotel, resulting in two "flagship" hotels for the company. In 1985, the Company combined the two hotels under a common name, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. In 1987, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group was floated on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong under the name of "Mandarin Oriental International Limited." Mandarin Oriental International Limited, is incorporated in Bermuda, and listed in London, Singapore and Bermuda. Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group Limited, which operates from Victoria City, manages the activities of the Group's hotels.
Marketing
Starting in September 2005, Mandarin Oriental showed the "Moments of Delight at Mandarin Oriental" at all hotels. In June 2006, the Moments of Delight video was slightly updated to add several new scenes and in October 2014, the video featured lyrics by Chinese singer, Sa Ding Ding, accompanied by new music.
On 1 April 2003, singer, actor and film producer Leslie Cheung leapt to his death from the 24th floor of the Mandarin Oriental in Central, Hong Kong. Every year on the anniversary of his death, a fan-organised memorial event takes place outside the hotel.
On 9 February 2009, the Beijing Television Cultural Center, which was to be completed in May 2009 and incorporate a Mandarin Oriental hotel, caught fire due to unauthorized fireworks celebrating the Chinese New Year. One fireman died from the incident and the structure was severely damaged, but did not collapse and underwent repair. However, the Mandarin Oriental hotel ultimately opened at a different location at Wangfujing, near the Beijing Hotel and the spot of the "Unknown Rebel" picture during the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989.
Credit card breach (2015)
In March 2015, a number of Mandarin Oriental hotels were affected by a point-of-sale systems security breach.
On 6 June 2018, a fire damaged the park-facing exterior of the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park in London. Although there were no injuries, the fire closed the hotel and caused a major setback to the near-complete renovation work, which involved interior designer Joyce Wang. The hotel returned to full operation on 15 April 2019.
