An Exclusive First Look Inside Mandarin Oriental Mayfair's New $54,000-A-Night Penthouse

Forbes

7 days ago

Mandarin Oriental Mayfair's new four-bedroom penthouse has a wraparound terrace with 180-degree panoramic views across London.
London's luxury hotel sector continues to boom. With an unprecedented wave of high-end openings and reinventions, the city is playing host to a five-star arms race to see which brand can best the rest.
With already one iconic hotel in London, Mandarin Oriental made an impressive follow up in June 2024 with a second property Mandarin Oriental Mayfair; however, just this month the boutique hotel on Hanover Square revealed a new pièce de résistance: a four-bedroom penthouse floating above the skyline on the 11th floor of the hotel's southern tower. With a balkingly expensive price tag of £40,000 per night (approximately $54,000), it's setting a new benchmark for ultra-luxury stays in the capital and wins the title as the most expensive suite in the city at the time of writing.
A grand, expansive sanctuary wrapped in glass and bathed in natural light, the new penthouse is part of the hotel's 77-residence collection and the only one of its kind. Spanning just over 5,000 square feet with an epic panoramic terrace and an impressive Post-Impressionist art collection, it's a design dream with some of the best views in town.
The penthouse has been described as evoking the quiet elegance of a private yacht for good reason: Studio Indigo—a design and architecture firm known for its sophisticated London residential projects and yachts—was at the helm. 'Much like our approach to the hotel itself, our goal was to create a unique sense of place, one that reflects the grandeur and glamour of Mayfair while offering a sanctuary of calm and sophistication,' Olga Fox, Director of Interiors at Studio Indigo, tells Forbes. 'The architectural layout is quite linear, so we introduced curvature and fluidity to soften the space and enhance its flow through bespoke joinery and organic silhouettes of the furniture.'
The penthouse has 180-views across London
In a space where floor-to-ceiling windows offer commanding views of London (including icons like Parliament, the Shard, and St. Paul's), the design team ensured that the city remained a key focus in the experience. 'From the outset, the view was everything,' says Fox. 'We designed low, sculptural sofas that frame the extraordinary views and transition seamlessly into the dining area, creating a continuous visual and spatial rhythm,' she says. 'We reconfigured the entrance to create an uninterrupted vista that draws the eye from the front door straight through to the open plan living and dining area, framing the city beyond. Where possible, we also oriented the bedrooms to enjoy the view from your bed, ensuring that the connection to the city is ever-present.'
The materials (silk georgette stone, light eucalyptus and hand-finished liquid metals) are also meant to be a reflection of the cityscape. 'Every material choice was made to heighten this sense of elegance and ease, mirroring the refined, cocooned experience of a private yacht but grounded in the architectural language of the city,' says Fox. She also stresses that imparting a sense of quiet luxury was the end goal: 'The challenge was to evoke opulence without overwhelming the senses. By exercising restraint in the right places and allowing moments of drama to emerge through detail and craftsmanship, we achieved a balance between intimacy and grandeur.'
Sans Souci chandelier
Bar details
The well-equipped and stylish kitchen
At the heart of the penthouse is an open-plan living and dining space, anchored by an architectural bioethanol fireplace. There are subtle but inspiring displays of European craftsmanship at every turn: hand-painted Fromental wallpapers (inspired by 19th-century English landscapes) bring romance to the walls, while the jewel-like San Souci chandelier in amber and white glass adds playful elegance from above.
'Every element of the penthouse was designed to honour British craftsmanship while reflecting the contemporary spirit of Mayfair,' says Fox. 'We collaborated with artisans such as Bulgaro for the joinery and Hospitality Projects for bespoke furniture, creating a layered, tactile environment.'
One example of this very British and collaborative spirit can be seen in the joinery in the living room's media unit, a notorious hard piece to make elegant, which Fox now counts as her favorite design moment. Designed by Studio Indigo and manufactured by Bulgaro, feature panels on the unit were first passed to Hare & Humphreys for hand finishing in a high-gloss pearlescent resin. Then, a sliding mechanism was discreetly integrated to allow for a television and soundbar to be concealed behind the panels. Finally, Simonetti inlayed dark mother-of-pearl when the unit was in situ. The result is a one-of-a-kind piece that steals the show.
Throughout the penthouse, design and narrative come together through carefully curated art. 'A standout moment was curating the collection of Post-Impressionist artworks from the vast private collection of the Chairman [of Mandarin Oriental],' says Fox. The penthouse includes opulently framed pieces from artists Fritz Preiss; Henry Moret; André Brasilier; as well as the stunning large-scale canvas "Komödianten," one of the most recognizable works from figurative German artist Willi Sitte. 'These pieces not only elevate the space but also create a meaningful bridge between past and present, adding a deeply personal layer to the design narrative,' Fox says. They also make the penthouse feel much more intimate and residential.
One of the most impressive pieces of art in the penthouse is "Komödianten" by figurative German artist Willi Sitte.
The art extends into the four bedrooms, inspired by the Eastern heritage of the Mandarin Oriental brand. 'Each room explores a different narrative: one features an églomisé headboard inspired by the ephemeral beauty of smoke and another incorporates gilded chinoiserie florals and the ginkgo leaf, a symbol of longevity and resilience in Japanese culture,' says Fox. 'These elements were paired with contemporary furnishings to create a dialogue between tradition and modernity, giving each bedroom its own identity while maintaining a cohesive story throughout the penthouse.'
The primary bedroom is dressed in mother-of-pearl accents and wisteria wallpaper
One of the four bedrooms
The primary bedroom has a walk-in wardrobe and a bathroom with a marble soaking tub
Each of the four bedrooms has a private bathroom, and the primary—with views over the former department store, Fenwick of Bond Street—also has a bathtub, complete with a Mandarin Oriental-branded golden rubber duckie and a walk-in wardrobe. There are also ultra-chic kimono-style dressing gowns.
Outdoors, the residence stuns with an oversized private terrace that wraps around two sides of the penthouse, and is outfitted with a bioethanol fire pit surrounded by outdoor seating and a dining area under a pergola. The space is well landscaped with breezy grasses and woodland sage, a bit hit with bumble bees. A spiral staircase leads up to a second, more private terrace.
Spiral steps lead to a second rooftop terrace.
The penthouse terrace is well landscaped
Despite its exquisitely private, personal and residential feel, guests of the penthouse can enjoy Mandarin Oriental's famously high-detailed service and are granted access to the hotel's amenities including the state-of-the-art spa, pool and wellness studio; and fine dining care of celeb chef Akira Back, who won a Michelin star for his Japanese and Korean-inflected restaurant Dosa, in the 2025 Michelin Guide.