Press Release
November 21, 2000
MIAMI, FL -- Mandarin Oriental, Miami - the first true luxury hotel in Miami, opened its doors to guests yesterday
on Brickell Key. The 329-room hotel features all the services and amenities of a five-star hotel and brings unsurpassed
levels of luxury and service to Miami.
The deluxe new waterfront hotel, with its contemporary and dynamic design, features Miami's most spacious guestrooms
and suites, comprehensive fitness center, large outdoor infinity-edge swimming pool, Cafe Sambal, the hotel's all-day
dining restaurant, an elegant lobby lounge featuring Asian-style tea service, and M-Bar, a martini and champagne
bar overlooking Biscayne Bay. Conference and banqueting facilities offering 15,000 square feet of meeting space
will cater for more than 600 people. Azul, the hotel's 120-seat signature restaurant will open in December. The
Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Miami is scheduled to open in early 2001.
Yesterday represented the soft opening. The hotel will celebrate its official Grand Opening with a Gala event on
March 31, 2001. Mandarin Oriental, Miami's Grand Opening Gala will benefit Voices for Children, a group providing
guardians and financial support for abused and neglected children in Miami-Dade County, Florida.
``Mandarin Oriental brings an exciting new level of energy and luxury to Miami,'' said Jorge Gonzalez, General
Manager. ``Out-of-town guests and local residents will appreciate our spectacular waterfront location, residential-style
guestrooms, exciting dining and bar facilities and our luxurious Spa, which opens early next year.''
The hotel's spacious guestrooms and suites evoke a serene, residential feel and provide spectacular views from
balconies and terraces overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, Biscayne Bay and the Miami skyline. Designed by internationally-renowned
Hirsch Bedner & Associates, the guest room interiors draw on the sophistication of a cosmopolitan city with
diverse cultural influences. A tranquil and elegant refuge, the guestrooms combine contemporary touches from South
Florida with exotic Asian elements, such as the bamboo hardwood floors in the hotel's suites to the Spanish marble
bathroom tiles in all guestrooms.
Dining
The hotel will bring dynamic dining opportunities to Miami with two restaurants - one for all-day dining and one
signature restaurant - both overlooking the waterfront and designed by Tony Chi and Associates of New York.
Cafe Sambal, the hotel's all-day restaurant, features waterfront terrace seating as well as ample inside dining
in a casual, relaxed environment. Azul, the signature restaurant (opening in December, 2000), provides stunning
views of Biscayne Bay with a vibrant atmosphere and innovative cuisine from chef Michelle Bernstein. The lobby
features a cocktail lounge and M-Bar, a separate bar specializing in martinis and champagne by the glass, both
with two-story, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the waterfront and the Miami Skyline.
Meeting, Conference and Banquet Facilities
Extensive conference and banquet facilities include a ballroom with seating for more than 600 people. Glass windows
provide natural light and waterfront views in several of the versatile meeting rooms. In addition, the hotel will
feature a state-of-the-art business center.
Spa Facilities
When it opens in early 2001, The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Miami will provide innovative Asian and European treatments,
blending elements of the East and West. Glass elevators will take guests from the lobby level and pool deck to
The Spa, which includes several VIP treatment rooms with glass windows overlooking the ocean. Adjoining The Spa
is a comprehensive health club and outdoor infinity-edged swimming pool, both of which are available as of the
hotel's soft opening in late November 2000.
The $100 million Mandarin Oriental, Miami project is a joint venture between Mandarin Oriental International, Ltd.
and Miami-based Swire Properties, Inc. a part of the Swire Group of Hong Kong.
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group is the award-winning owner and operator of some of the world's finest hotels. The
Group operates luxury hotels in key leisure and business destinations with a further hotel under development in
New York (opening late 2003). In total, Mandarin Oriental employs almost 9,000 staff in three continents with 10
hotels in Asia, seven in North America and four in Europe.
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Contact:
Strategic Vision, Miami
JoNell Modys, 305/576-3191
Email: jnm@strategicvision.org
www.mandarinoriental.com