Mandarin Oriental crafts experiences that start with its people.

Mandarin Oriental is one of the world's most respected names in luxury hospitality. Operating 45 hotels and a growing portfolio of residences across 28 countries and territories, and employing more than 15,000 colleagues globally, the Hong Kong-headquartered Group is built on a clear mission: "To craft time-enriching experiences that transform the ordinary to the exceptional and guests to fans through its legendary service." That mission starts from within — with the people who deliver it every day.

A growing business with fragmented foundations.

Mandarin Oriental has ambitious plans for expansion. The group aims to double its portfolio from 45 to 90 properties between 2024 and 2034—a goal that would require at minimum doubling the current colleague base. But before that growth could begin in earnest, there was a fundamental operational problem to address.

Each hotel ran its own HR system, with its own definitions of workforce data — what one property called a "contractor," another might define differently. There was no consolidated, corporate-level view of headcount or workforce planning, and leaders lacked access to the real-time people insights needed to make informed decisions in a complex, service-driven environment. Vivian Chinn, Head of People & Culture Transformation at Mandarin Oriental, saw the challenge clearly: without a single data platform, delivering a consistent colleague experience at double the scale would be impossible.

One platform. Global consistency. Local flexibility.

Mandarin Oriental selected Workday Human Capital Management (Workday HCM) as its cloud-based HR platform to address these challenges. The selection was guided by several priorities: establishing a single source of truth for people data, achieving global consistency while accommodating local rules and regulations, and implementing robust security features—including data protection, privacy controls, and compliance with global standards such as GDPR.

"For us, Workday is a system that allows globally defined processes, regionally governed by rules and regulations, as well as locally executed with our expectations for our diverse markets," says Chinn.

The deployment journey was marked by strong cross-functional collaboration among HR, IT, and finance teams, alongside executive management support. Teams navigated change with resilience and agility, turning challenges into learning moments while continuing to manage their day-to-day hotel operations. "Seeing HR processes become more intuitive and data-driven, while empowering leaders and teams to adopt new ways of working, was especially rewarding," Chinn reflects.

Measurable impact across the organization.

Since adopting Workday, the shift has been felt at every level. HR processes are now standardized and more efficient. Leaders have real-time access to reliable people data, and colleagues benefit from a more intuitive, self-service experience for managing their HR needs. The platform has also encouraged colleagues to take ownership of their career development by updating their career profiles for future advancement.

The operational results have been significant. A pulse survey conducted across properties following the Workday launch found that some hotels had reduced paper usage by up to 80%, as many processes are now fully digitized and easier to reference for audit purposes. Other properties reported saving more than 60% of the time previously spent on operational tasks—time freed up as colleagues complete their onboarding activities independently.

The People & Culture function itself has been transformed in the process, shifting from a reactive to a proactive posture. With greater data and insight, HR teams can now anticipate workforce needs, assess internal talent readiness, and plan for the headcount required to support Mandarin Oriental's growth trajectory.

Looking ahead: from data to predictive insights.

With the right data foundation now in place, Mandarin Oriental is focused on what comes next. Workday's embedded AI helps automate routine processes through smart recommendations, improving both data quality and the user experience. This frees people managers to concentrate on developing talent and supporting long-term, sustainable growth—all within a governed, secure HR platform.

Looking further ahead, the Group plans to translate its consolidated data into predictive insights and leverage them across downstream systems. The ambition is clear: to have the right colleagues in the right roles as Mandarin Oriental opens new properties around the world, preserving the exceptional service standard that has long defined the brand.