Mandarin Oriental to manage two hotels from The Set Collection, leaving GHA

In a surprising move, Mandarin Oriental is taking over management of two luxury European hotels which HfP rates highly – The Conservatorium in Amsterdam (review here) and Hotel Lutetia in Paris (review here, image below).

These hotels were both part of The Set Collection, which itself is part of Global Hotel Alliance.

The Set Collection was originally a group of three properties – the two above plus Hotel Cafe Royal in London, reviewed here – although it has recently added marketing agreements with another 18 hotels.

When I reviewed Hotel Lutetia last December I was hugely impressed by what had been done during the massive renovation. However, occupancy was low and the hotel was determined to keep to its ‘palace’ ranking pricing of €1,500+ despite being ‘south of the river’. I thought the location was great, with Le Bon Marche department store directly opposite and the luxury boutiques of Saint-Germain-des-Prés literally on the doorstep.

The Conservatorium is also a touch outside the core of Amsterdam, although it is just seconds from the Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum and the luxury shopping area around that. I had breakfast there in October and it was head and shoulders over what I was getting at the (also 5-star) Andaz where I was staying.

So …. it’s good news for the hotels, which should see a jump in occupancy due to Mandarin Oriental branding and management. It’s bad news for Global Hotel Alliance which loses two of its star properties. It’s unclear what the future holds for The Set Collection, and in particular Hotel Cafe Royal in London. I suspect Mandarin Oriental couldn’t take this on due to the proximity of the new Hanover Square hotel.

Hotel Lutetia will switch to Mandarin Oriental management as soon as regulatory formalities are complete. Amsterdam will not switch until 2026 as some refurbishment is required.

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