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Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has enlisted the talent of veteran hotelier Susanne Hatje to oversee the launch of Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, London scheduled to open in spring 2023.
Ms Hatje joins the pre-opening team direct from her position as General Manager of Mandarin Oriental, New York, the Group’s flagship property in The Americas. She brings with her more than 25 years’ experience in the hospitality industry, including 18 years of senior management roles within Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.
Ms Hatje was at the helm of the award-winning Mandarin Oriental, New York for nine years. Prior to that, she served as the global Group Director of Residences, managing all aspects of the Group’s portfolio of branded Residences at Mandarin Oriental. Her experience of launching key Mandarin Oriental hotels includes the opening of the iconic Mandarin Oriental, Boston in 2008 as well as The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong which has been winning significant awards since its opening in 2005. Ms Hatje also served as General Manager of Mandarin Oriental, Munich, overseeing the re-branding from Rafael hotels, as well as Resort Manager at one of the Group’s previous hotels in Hawaii.
Commenting on the appointment, Christoph Mares, Chief Operating Officer said “Susanne’s experience of overseeing Mandarin Oriental’s branded Residences and successfully launching new Mandarin Oriental properties makes her the ideal fit for this high-profile opening in the heart of Mayfair. From her experience launching The Landmark Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong, which sits alongside the Group’s heritage flagship, Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, Susanne understands well how the Mandarin Oriental brand can be translated from glamorous heritage to intimate and modern.”
Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, London sits on historic Hanover Square, in the heart of the city’s most stylish neighbourhoods, where fashion, media, art, and business intersect. The new hotel will be a discreet, sleek and intimate sister-property to Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London in Knightsbridge. For visitors and locals already in love with Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London, there will now be a new way to experience the legendary brand, inspired by the vibrancy and creativity of its new neighbourhood.
The hotel, which comprises 50 guestrooms and suites and 78 Mandarin Oriental residences, will provide an oasis of calm alongside a vibrant atmosphere in the public spaces. Ms. Hatje will be the guardian of Mandarin Oriental’s legendary service, which sits at the heart of this new property that will house a Mandarin Oriental urban spa focussed on renewal and recalibration as well as the first UK restaurant and bar from Michelin-starred Korean Chef Akira Back.
“To launch a Mandarin Oriental hotel is always a project of love and passion and I am fortunate to have overseen several of the Group’s key launches. However, to open a property in London, in the heart of one of its most historic squares, is really a privilege. We intend to make this a destination that reflects and enhances our vibrant new neighbourhood, where art, fashion, and business collide,” said Ms Hatje.
Ms Hatje has been recognised for successfully positioning new hotels as amongst the world’s best and was named “Virtuoso’s Hotelier of the Year” in 2017. A German national, Ms. Hatje joined the hotel industry in 1998 as an apprentice at Atlantic Hotel Kempinski in Hamburg. While advancing her career, she continued her education through hospitality management programme at New York’s prestigious Cornell University and Australia’s Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) where she earned a Master’s of Business Administration degree. The action-loving general manager is a globetrotter and a fan of hiking, surfing, sailing and West End theatres.