At the beginning of the millennium, the Group created a mid-term goal to double the number of hotel rooms around the world to over 10,000. This would be achieved by capitalizing on our brand heritage via a combination of ownership and management agreements.
Our expansion began in earnest in 2000 with the purchase of the prestigious Rafael Group of hotels which immediately increased our portfolio from 14 to 20 unique properties, and gave us critical mass across three continents. During this year, we also completed an extensive renovation of Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London and successfully positioned the hotel as one of the finest in the city. We also opened a stylish urban resort in Miami, and began the global implementation of our holistic spa concepts.
Today, our extensive collection of holistic spas, which combine Asian and western treatment techniques, achieve numerous individual awards. Mandarin Oriental is the only luxury hotel group to have 10 Forbes ‘Five-Star’ spas across our global portfolio – more than any other hotel group in the world.