Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, London Opens With Akira Back's London Debut and Esmeralda's

Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, London opened on June 3, 2025, on Hanover Square, the brand's second London property and the first new-build hotel in Mayfair in more than a decade. Designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, the property combines 50 guestrooms and suites with 77 private residences, a mixed-use model that's becoming increasingly common among the city's newest ultra-luxury addresses.

The hotel's opening doubled as chef Akira Back's London restaurant debut, bringing his Korean-inflected, globally influenced cooking to Mayfair for the first time. The dining program expanded further in late 2025 with Esmeralda's Mayfair, a live-music and late-night lounge founded by twin brothers Lee and Nicky Caulfield, built around a six-piece live band, rotating DJ sets, and a menu that includes caviar-topped chicken nuggets, wagyu sliders, and oyster towers.

Between Akira Back's arrival and Esmeralda's late-night draw, Mandarin Oriental Mayfair has positioned itself less as a quiet luxury retreat and more as a genuine nightlife destination within one of London's most exclusive postcodes, a distinct identity from its Hyde Park sister property just across the city.

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