From Oman’s desert Bedouins to New York’s living art history, Mandarin Oriental is launching new tailor-made explorations led by world-class experts.
Culture is king today in travel. Mandarin Oriental is long synonymous with luxury, but with this latest launch, the brand isn’t just hosting guests at their five star hotels, it’s wanting to refine how they experience destinations.
In partnership with The Luminaire, a pioneer in knowledge-led travel, the Mandarin Oriental Exclusive Journeys collection of expert-curated itineraries aims to transform city stays into immersive cultural expeditions. From visiting with Madrid’s art restorers, touring Tokyo’s Samurai crafts, to crossing the desert with Muscat’s nomadic Bedouin storytellers, each “journey” grants rare access to custodians of heritage. Those along for the ride are promised a backstage glimpse into the soul of a destination.
“Discerning guests today are looking for more than ever before when it comes to connecting with the essence of a destination; they seek context, rarefied access, and expert-delivered knowledge,” says Andrew Cleary, Vice President of Customer Experience at the group.
The series just makes its Americas debut in New York, a city defined by reinvention. Here, the hotel leans into its deep ties with the art world, unveiling a suite of experiences that treat the metropolis, and its surrounds, as a living gallery. Imagine a private seaplane skimming the Atlantic en route to Cape Cod for a photography masterclass on windswept dunes, or tracing Basquiat’s ghost through Soho lofts with a curator who knew the scene firsthand.
Highlight itinerary’s include Modernism in Motion, a pilgrimage to Dia Beacon and Storm King with art scholars and intimate encounters with photographic visionaries such as Liz Nielsen and Joel Meyerowitz’s archive director. Aiming to elevate these journeys beyond tours and tourism, they are stoking dialogues with the creativity of each destination.
Backed by The Luminaire’s IATA certification and Mandarin Oriental’s Asian-inspired hallmark hospitality, these itineraries don’t just promise access, it’s about transformative learning and experiences – one private, perfectly pitched moment at a time.
