Mandarin Oriental appoints new AVP of operations to help deliver ‘strong pipeline’

Mandarin Oriental has appointed a new area vice-president of operations for northern Europe as the group prepares to “double its portfolio” to more than 100 properties over the next 10 years.

 

Philippe Kronberg joined the hotel group in January, where he will also serve as general manager of Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London.

 

Speaking to Aspire, Kronberg said: “I had the chance to apply for the position, and I took it because I thought it was a huge opportunity to join a really growing luxury brand.

 

“The vision of our CEO [Laurent Kleitman] is to be the best luxury brand in the world and to develop a portfolio through management agreements and strategic partners. That’s what we want – to double our portfolio in the next 10 years.”

 

He said Mandarin Oriental’s primary growth method is through management agreements, of which it has a “very strong pipeline all around the world”.

 

Mandarin Oriental Conservatorium, Amsterdam and Mandarin Oriental Lutetia in Paris, which are two of the properties Kronberg looks after in his role as AVP of operations, both joined the portfolio through management agreements in January of this year and April 2025 respectively.

 

Kronberg said partnerships like this work well because the properties are “iconic”, but now have “the power of the brand [Mandarin Oriental] to help elevate it and give a greater reach”.

 

He added: “The reason why our owners are wanting to have their hotels managed by Mandarin Oriental is because they see value in the assets and having this marginal agreement with Mandarin. They trust our brand.”

 

The opportunities for growth, however, aren’t without their “challenges”, according to Kronberg, who said one of the group’s main priorities as it expands is to “maintain brand integrity”.

 

He said: “With this pipeline, we need to ensure we maintain our standards as we grow. That’s going to be the challenge moving forward.

 

“When owners want to [partner with] Mandarin Oriental, they also want that Mandarin Oriental DNA, and that DNA is really key when it comes to growth.”

 

According to Kronberg, a key part of this DNA is high service standards.

 

“Maintaining and elevating the product is very important, but more so for us is the soft skills,” he said. “Keeping the service standards is really important. The hardware is already here, but when I speak to guests who have been coming to this hotel for many years, the first thing they mention is the people.

 

“[The staff] create special moments for them, which is really what luxury is all about.”

 

Kronberg said this is particularly important at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London, where he believes the level of service helps keep the property “relevant”.

 

“There’s a lot of new brands coming in and I see that as a positive for the market, because it keeps on elevating the standards for London. It keeps all the other five-star luxury hotels who are quite established, like us, on our toes,” he said.

 

He doesn’t, however, see the growing number of luxury properties in the city as a threat to Mandarin Oriental.

 

He explained: “We hear a lot about some guests wanting to start to try new products, and they do – but they eventually come back.

 

“I’ve been talking to guests who like to try the new product, but they tell me what made them come back is that service. They feel that bespoke service and that genuine customer care, and they can’t find that in new hotels because they don’t have the history.”