The iconic Al Faisaliah Hotel in Riyadh’s prestigious Olaya district becomes part of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, with the newly minted property revealing a special art-cum-design commission created by Her Royal Highness Princess Nourah Al Faisal.
The defining ethos of luxury hospitality group Mandarin Oriental is one which brings the exceptional to life. Operating 38 hotels, 11 residences and 23 exclusive homes across 25 countries – with Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah, Riyadh marking the group’s first property in Saudi Arabia – this global reach is more than strategic expansion. It reflects the group’s heritage. Fusing disparate cultures has been a defining characteristic since the group formed 60 years ago, when Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok was formed. This approach allows standards of excellence and best practices to benefit from the strengths of each country’s individual style of hospitality, while also invoking deeper cultural resonance.
By tailoring each Mandarin Oriental hotel to its location, the group’s portfolio becomes simultaneously and intimately connected to its locations and universally appreciable as a brand. It is a delicate balance, with Mandarin Oriental’s astute ability to define this multifaceted identity crystallised through its logo, an acknowledgement of the power of the image. Using the simple, elegant fan motif, Mandarin Oriental has found a visual ally for its energy, philosophy and mission. The fan – indisputably connected to the group’s Oriental culture and an icon in and of itself – is not only a practical object by design, but also a bridge between cultures and epochs. Hand fans can be traced to ancient Egypt, developed foldability in Japan in the seventh century, then spread across China and India before eventually entering Europe by way of Venice.
The fan is laden with precious value and symbolism, including wisdom, prosperity, social status, longevity and good luck. For a time, fans were even a means of discreet communication – the 19th century saw a leaflet published by fan maker Duvelleroy detailing its “language”. An enduring purpose, however, has been as an object to commemorate key moments, such as the first hot air balloon flight in 1783 and, more recently, the transformation of the Al Faisaliah Hotel into Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah, Riyadh.
Mandarin Oriental has harnessed the concept of the fan and its myriad symbolic values and social connotations by commissioning a special fan for each of its properties from a local designer or artist. The bespoke designs connect the properties to their locales, a gesture of assimilation, appreciation and openness. The group may introduce its unique blend of hospitality to new environments, but it ensures through this arts-driven commitment that it places the protection of local tradition at the forefront of its embrace of cultural cross-pollination.
The Al Faisaliah fan, created by Her Royal Highness Princess Nourah Al Faisal, designer and founder of Nuun Jewels and Adhlal, a research-based design consultancy, was inspired by the Kingdom through time. The design embodies intellectual and aesthetic references to Saudi Arabia, such as its natural mineral resources, traditional attire, ornamentation and forward-looking ambition. The leaves comprise 13 circular embroidered beige fabric panels in acknowledgement of each of the Kingdom’s unique regions, quartz as a nod to the ever-present “desert diamonds”, and the ribs or sticks of the fan are green anodised titanium, showcasing the Kingdom’s inextricable connection to the hue as well as its growing proclivity for high-tech development. Together, these elements symbolise a rich past, evolving present and promising future.
The fan is never too far removed from its roots, however. Bedouin-inspired patterning on the ribbed-edge titanium further reinforces the critical dialogues of past versus present, and what happens when worlds (literal, technological or metaphorical) collide. This holistic awareness and sensitivity imbue all of HRH’s design. Having travelled the globe and spent time in Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan, among other places, she has publicly noted how inspiring encounters and exchanges occur when differing time periods and cultures intersect. It is a familiar dynamic: HRH’s Nuun Jewels brand, headquartered in Paris, encourages dialogue between Arab and European heritage through thought-provoking and personally inspired jewellery.
Championing the diversity of Saudi Arabia’s creativity and generous spirit on a larger scale proves common ground for Mandarin Oriental and HRH Princess Nourah – who recently relaunched her Adhlal consultancy at the 2022 edition of the Saudi Design Festival in Diriyah to stimulate and support future generations. Mandarin Oriental took additional steps to celebrate of Saudi heritage by selecting Tihany Design to oversee the property’s redesign. Inspired by the vibrancy of the Kingdom’s regions, the New York/Rome-based firm selected elements with a distinctly Saudi visual language, from the artworks and chandeliers to architectural elements within the public and private spaces, including nine restaurants and new room categories. Woven together with the hospitality group’s characteristic subtle Asian undertones, the result is sophisticated and multi-layered.
Breathing new life into a seminal component of Riyadh’s skyline, Mandarin Oriental safeguards the iconic Al Faisaliah’s place in the city’s collective memory while propelling it forward so that it evolves in tandem with the Kingdom’s dynamic people, culture and future.
