Mandarin Oriental Fan Club

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group is a collection of luxury hotels spread out all over the world. In total, there are 36 Mandarin Oriental hotels, with the vast majority concentrated in Asia and Europe.

If you’re planning an upcoming stay at any of Mandarin Oriental’s luxurious properties, then the best way to enhance your stay is to book through Mandarin Oriental Fan Club.

What Is Mandarin Oriental Fan Club?

Mandarin Oriental Fan Club is Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group’s preferred partner program. Booking through Fan Club will provide you with a suite of extra benefits for your stay at no additional cost.

While you won’t have to spend anything extra to use this program, you can only access Mandarin Oriental Fan Club through an authorized travel advisor in order to access the extra perks and benefits.

Every Mandarin Oriental property participates in the preferred partner program. Keep in mind that the Fan Club rate will be the same as the best available rate you’ll find if you book directly through the hotel’s website.

It’s as simple as that – you’ll pay the same as what you’d otherwise pay, but you get more benefits by booking through Mandarin Oriental Fan Club.

What Are the Benefits of Booking Through Mandarin Oriental Fan Club?

The exact suite of perks you’ll receive through Mandarin Oriental’s preferred partner program may vary slightly. In general, the benefits provided through Fan Club include:

• $100 (USD) food & beverage or spa credit, per room per stay
• Daily full breakfast for two
• Complimentary high speed internet access
• Personalized welcome amenity and note
• One category room upgrade, subject to availability at time of check-in

While these are the general benefits available through the program, the specific benefits offered by select properties may vary.

For example, the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur and the Mandarin Oriental Jakarta don’t offer the $100 (USD) credit, but rather provide an alternative benefit to guests.

Some hotels provide a guaranteed upgrade at the time of booking, and others may offer additional inclusions for guests who book through Mandarin Oriental Fan Club. Your travel advisor will be able to let you know all of the benefits for your specific hotel.

Of the benefits offered through the preferred partner program, the $100 (USD) hotel credit and the full breakfast for two are the most enticing. These alone can make booking through the preferred partner program much more valuable than booking any other way.

Getting the Most from Mandarin Oriental Fan Club

Booking through Mandarin Oriental Fan Club is almost certainly going to give you the best experience for any Mandarin Oriental stay. However, it’s always important to consider all of your options, especially if you have access to corporate or other promotional rates.

Keep in mind that even with promotional or corporate rates, the benefits offered through Fan Club may tip the scales in such a way that it’s worth paying a bit extra for the hotel credit, free breakfast, and other perks.

Compare with Virtuoso and American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts

Almost all Mandarin Oriental hotels can also be booked through Virtuoso or American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts.

Similar to Mandarin Oriental Fan Club, Virtuoso is a preferred partner program that can only be booked through an authorized travel advisor, but is different in that it isn’t limited to one hotel chain.

Amex Fine Hotel & Resorts also allows you to book multiple hotel chains; however, you can only use the program if you hold an American Express Platinum Card or American Express Business Platinum Card.

While you may be able to find the same Mandarin Oriental hotel across all three programs, booking through Mandarin Oriental Fan Club tends to be the best choice.

This is because the benefits tend to be better. For example, with Fan Club, the $100 (USD) hotel credit is more flexible and can be used on your choice of food & dining or spa services, whereas it may be limited to certain experiences with the other programs.

If we look at a Mandarin Oriental hotel booked through Virtuoso, such as the Mandarin Oriental Singapore, the $100 (USD) credit can actually only be used on a $100 (USD) equivalent glass of Champagne, or a Signature Cocktail. At the same time, the property also offers a complimentary afternoon tea for two, once per stay, which isn’t offered through other channels.

The same hotel booked through Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts doesn’t come with any hotel credit, but rather comes with a complimentary lunch or dinner for two people. 

Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts offers a guaranteed 4pm late check-out on all stays, which isn’t available through either Fan Club or Virtuoso. So, if a guaranteed late check-out is more valuable to you than the extra benefits offered through Mandarin Oriental Fan Club, then you may want to book through the Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts program instead.

It goes to show that it’s worthwhile looking through multiple programs to see which one gives you the most value for your booking.

Mandarin Oriental Fan Club vs. Fans of M.O.

Note that Mandarin Oriental has its own loyalty program, known as Fans of M.O. The loyalty program isn’t points-based and there are no status tiers, but it’s available for anyone to use and make a booking through.  

All members of the loyalty program benefit from free internet, dining and spa extras, and various discounts. However, the most interesting part of Fans of M.O. is that you can select two of the following perks per stay:

• Early check-in (12pm)
• Late check-out (4pm)
• A room upgrade
• Daily breakfast for one guest (you can select this twice if you are travelling as a pair)
• A dining or spa credit
• Faster Wi-Fi
• A “celebratory treat”
• Pressing service

Unfortunately, unlike other preferred partner programs, you have to choose between making your booking through either the loyalty program or Mandarin Oriental Fan Club, and you can’t take advantage of the benefits of both.

Since booking through Fan Club affords you with more benefits, including a $100 (USD) property credit, daily breakfast for two, and consideration for early check-in, late check-out, and a room upgrade (subject to availability) at the same price, it’s in your best interest to use the preferred partner program instead of the loyalty program.

Free Night Offers

Some properties also offer a complimentary night for Third, Fourth, or Fifth Night Free offers. Indeed, promotions such as these can result in meaningful added value versus booking directly with the hotel.

A four-night stay at a Mandarin Oriental hotel with a Fourth Night Free offer means you’re essentially receiving a 25% discount on your stay, which comes in addition to all of the other benefits offered through the program.

Similarly, a Third Night Free offer gives a 33% discount on your booking, and a Fifth Night Free offer would give a 20% total discount on your stay.

Once again, your luxury travel advisor will be able to tell you which Mandarin Oriental hotels offer free nights, as it’s dependent on each individual property and changes throughout the year.

Property-Specific Offers

Some Mandarin Oriental hotels have property-specific promotions that come in addition to the regular benefits. Some of these are ongoing, while other offers might be time sensitive.

For example, the Mandarin Oriental Geneva offers a suite of perks if you’re travelling with kids, such as an additional room for the children available at 50% off the best available rate.

If you have older children and need some extra space, this is a significant discount over just booking a second room outright.

At check-in, there are special welcome amenities designed for children, as well as complimentary activities at the Little Fans Kids Club.

If you’re a golfing enthusiast, the Mandarin Oriental Canouan in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines offers two free rounds of golf, as well as a complimentary 60-minute massage treatment per adult guest if you book a minimum three-night stay.

Again, these come in addition to the regular Mandarin Oriental Fan Club benefits you’ll receive.

Some of the other hotels have additional hotel-specific benefits, which your travel advisor will be happy to tell you about.

Combining with Amex Offers

In the past, American Express has had Amex Offers on select cards that would give you a $100 (USD) statement credit when you spend at least $500 (USD) at specific Mandarin Oriental hotels.

This offer and statement credit can be used in conjunction with the Mandarin Oriental Fan Club bookings, since you’ll be charged directly by the hotel.

If one of these offers pops up, you can get even more value out of your stay, especially if you take advantage of hotel-specific benefits and free night promotions.

Conclusion

By booking through an authorized travel advisor and Mandarin Oriental Fan Club, you can enjoy a host of benefits at Mandarin Oriental hotels. You’ll enjoy extra perks, such as a $100 (USD) food & beverage or spa credit, complimentary breakfast, free nights, and much more, at no additional cost to you.

While Mandarin Oriental doesn’t have a particularly large global footprint, all of the hotels have a reputation of being some of the best luxury hotels around.

Be sure to reach out to a Mandarin Oriental Fan Club travel advisor before your next Mandarin Oriental hotel stay.