In the beer-drinking heart of south-east Germany, the Mandarin Oriental Munich is proving popular with travelers since its renovations finished recently (although personally we're a bit puzzled by the new furniture in this picture).
Right now it's rating as #3 out of some 350 hotels on the TripAdvisor ratings so are hunch that it's a good spot to stay is definitely shared; on top of that, their website boasts that a Travel + Leisure poll put them in the Top 10 of the world's best hotels.
The location is great, right near the Marienplatz which is where Munich ticks. The hotel has everything, even a Michelin-starred restaurant, and the rest of Munich is right at your feet anyway.
What we like is all the different packages available--sounds like there would be something to suit most people.
Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer were first spotted getting cuddly in Miami poolside at the Mandarin Oriental a few weeks ago and out with his new lady love as she wrapped up filming after a brief trip to NYC, John Mayer has returned to the chlorinated waters once more with Jen.
Johniston (Mayerston? Jen-Jo? Jenyer? Mayifer?) were snapped clinging to each other in the pool over the weekend. Access Hollywood reports:
Photographers snapped the star couple spending some time poolside at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Miami on Saturday. Mayer flew south to hang g scenes for her new comedy "Marley & Me," co-starring Owen Wilson.
The duo also attended the "Marley" wrap party later that night at Nikki Coconut Grove in Miami.
Jennifer Aniston is a serial hotel abuser. Her and Brad Pitt called it quits at the Dorchester. Her and Vince Vaughn reportedly started their love affair at the Peninsula Beverly Hills. And she's a frequent guest at the Sunset Tower in Los Angeles.
So it makes perfect sense that her newest relationship kicks off at the Mandarin Oriental. Located away from the busy Ocean Drive on Brickell Key, the hotel has killer views of the Biscayne Bay. Plus, John never stayed here with Jessica Simpson. Let's just hope Jen (or the movie studio) is getting a discounted rate as rooms start around $500 a night.
We are suckers for a room with a killer view. We find that we are even more likely to forgive some minor hotel inconveniences if we can stare out the window at something pretty--yeah we are that shallow. Let's help out our fellow hotel mavens by uploading rooms with killer views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. We will feature our favorites in this space from time to time. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number of the hot view.
You've gotta feel pretty much on top of the world if you can get a view like this over the skyscrapers of New York City, and the green of Central Park too ... and it's a view you can get by checking in to the Mandarin Oriental on Columbus Circle--specifically, in Room # 4708.
We're already daydreaming about sitting comfortably at this window with a good book and gazing out over the city (if the book got boring, of course). You can still book in for the Sex and the City package, starting from $2000 a night with a river view, and just $100 more to get this view over Central Park. Without a package deal, the cheapest rate for this kind of view is $1,275 a night. Not exactly cheap, but a view that's worth paying for.
With the Sex and the City movie on its way, we couldn't help but wonder: When will New York hotels start hopping on the hype bandwagon? Well, my friends, that day has arrived. One of the first SATC-centered packages we've seen comes to us from the Mandarin Oriental New York, located in the Time Warner Center--and at a price that could buy you at least five pairs of Manolos.
The package, available April 15 through the end of the year, includes a private SATC On Location Tour for up to five people, Sex and the City trivia game, two complimentary cocktails (inspired by the characters, natch), one $200 Henri Bendel Gift Card and a VIP gift bag from lingerie designer Cosabella, who just launched a collection inspired by Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha. All this, for rates that start at just $2,000 for a night in a Hudson River View Room (pictured).
Hopefully, you have your own Mr. Big to pick up the tab at the end of your stay.
A Mandarin Oriental hotel is set to open sometime in 2010 in Dallas in a towering 43-story skyscraper in Victory Park (just across the street from the W Dallas. Or it was set to open.
The Dallas Morning News has been following the construction closely and recently there have been some significant scaling back of the work. Two construction cranes were taken down and a planned parking garage is almost finished but at a much smaller sized than expected.
And most tellingly:
Workmen painted over colorful advertisements for the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, which were on the fence at Olive Street and Victory Avenue.
The Victory Park Internet site says that the project will open in 2010. And a spokeswoman in Mandarin Oriental's New York office said the same thing. But she acknowledged that the opening date of the hotel is up to the developers and "subject to change."
On the MO's website for hotels under development, Dallas is indeed listed for 2010. However, work needs to start now if that hotel is going to open in time. We hate to say it, but with the markets in bad shape, this kind of news might get more and more common.
Earlier this week, we scoped out some "cheap" rates for the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park Hotel in London. Although a rate of $477 was the cheapest we could find, that's still a deal for a Mandarin Oriental (ie. MO NYC has a $900+ rate.)
So what's this Mandarin Oriental like and is it worth our American dollars?
For starters, let's talk location. The hotel backs onto Hyde Park, but it's also across the road from Harvey Nichols department store and is just minutes from Harrods and surrounding Knightsbridge designer stores.
What's more, you're within a stone's throw of Buckingham Palace as well, and can witness the procession of the Household Cavalry from the comfort of your very balcony. (But we bet a room with a balcony and this view costs extra.)
We're fantasizing about heading to London over Easter and so we've been scoping out some hotel rates here and there.
And out of all our research we are kinda obsessed with staying at the Mandarin Oriental in Hyde Park. This is for two main reasons. One: We've always wanted to stay at a Mandarin Oriental. Sure we've been to their parties and checked out their spa but we want to stay the night.
Two, the rates are actually looking pretty do-able for a Mandarin Oriental in an extremely expensive city. So we plugged in the dates March 20-23. Mind you, these rates are still not cheap by any means.
On the hotel's website we found a courtyard room at 366-sq.ft. with either a king or two twin beds for 245 GBP a night, which is roughly $477 USD. This is the special internet rate and does not include tax.
Interestingly, on Hotels.com the hotel is going for 362 GBP a night which is roughly $700 a night. Yikes.
We're still on the fence about staying here but if we do, we'll be booking directly through the MO website. And in this case, we get an extra 50 percent off because we're splitting it with a friend. Niiiceee....
We have been reading about the imminent opening of Mexico's first Mandarin Oriental since early December. The prominent image seen here may make you think that the Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya is ready to welcome you with open arms, but not so fast!
They are apparently running way behind schedule and construction crews are scrambling to meet an opening date that keeps moving back. A travel writer tipster who was trying to tour the hotel this week for both a certain big glossy magazine and a popular luxury travel website was told flat-out no by the PR people.
Meanwhile, we've heard of two guests who had mid-February reservations being forcibly rebooked into later weeks, even though one couple was going on their honeymoon.
So we tried to go in and make a booking ourselves on the website to see what would happen. No matter what dates we tried over the next two weeks, we got the error message, "We apologize. There are no available rooms for your desired dates. Please modify your dates or number of guests." When we got to a 3-day period from Feb. 28 to March 1, we finally scored. Well, if you can call an $870 room in Mexico a score that is.
Yes, you read that right. Rooms will start at $870 a night. Room only. In Mexico. Apparently the very bottom-rung ones aren't finished yet. When we pulled up May dates, typically a slow time for the area, we found a "Deluxe Cenote" room and "Deluxe Laguna" room for $595. As in you don't face the beach. For $595. Room only. In Mexico.
Yeah yeah, we're sure it's gorgeous. Or will be when it's done that is. More later when we get a peek from someone who is allowed through the hallowed gates.
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by amandak
We have been reading about the imminent opening of Mexico's first Mandarin Oriental since early December. The prominent image seen here may make you think that the 
