Mandarin Oriental Employs Symmons' Custom-Designed Bathroom Fittings

New York, NY - We've all experienced the feel of a bad shower. Whether it's the result of low water pressure, poorly functioning fixtures, or temperature issues, an inferior shower in the morning can get the day off to a terrible start that can be hard to shake.

Management at Mandarin Oriental, New York understands that feeling perfectly. They know full well that in their hotel - an exclusive development on floors 35 to 54 of the Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle that caters to a sophisticated international clientele - the shower "experience," among other amenities, can make the difference in a guest's memorable stay. It isn't only functionality that defines the quality of the experience; the aesthetic appeal of the fixtures and how they complement the overall design of the bathroom is an essential element as well.

It should come as no surprise that the 248-room Mandarin Oriental, New York places a great deal of emphasis on its bathrooms. This exclusive facility is part of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, an award-winning owner and operator of some of the world's most prestigious hotels and resorts, encompassing 8,000 rooms in 16 countries. The hotel built its reputation not only on its four-star features – like breathtaking views over Central Park and the New York City skyline – but on the minute details as well.

Consequently, Mandarin Oriental focused significant attention on this bathroom ritual that may seem mundane at first blush, but nonetheless plays a major role in defining the quality of each guest's stay. Ultimately, the goal is to create an experience that makes the guest feel at home, and in doing so, Mandarin Oriental is not just pleasing its guests; it's engaging in an act of branding that is becoming increasingly crucial in an ultra-competitive industry.

"The hotel industry is highly competitive, particularly in this city," said Phillip Srikishun, chief engineer for Mandarin Oriental, New York. "Increasingly, hotels are looking for an edge, and one of the ways to gain that edge is to create a customized design ‘look' throughout your hotel – including the bathrooms – that helps establish your brand solidly in a guest's mind. Despite our excellent reputation and loyal clientele, we knew this was something we had to do. We couldn't just rest on our laurels."

This attitude of pursuing constant improvement was shared by Ron Wackrow, Executive Vice President of the Related Lodging Group/Mandarin Oriental, New York. He had a specific vision that encompassed the entire guest experience, down to the tubs, showers and sinks. Eschewing the typical off-the-shelf solutions, Wackrow made a personal trip to Symmons, a premier manufacturer of commercial and residential plumbing products headquartered in Braintree, Massachusetts to examine its offerings.

The choice to visit Symmons was far from random. An experienced hotel executive, Wackrow was quite familiar with the company and already comfortable with the use of Symmons products behind the wall, particularly the company's trademark anti-scald, pressure-balancing shower valves which maintain the pre-selected shower temperature.

Additionally, in terms of custom-designed bathroom fittings, Symmons was already on a roll: the company had just finished its first large-scale custom job at the 34-story luxury hotel at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut.

"The Mohegan Sun project was the origin of what we call our Signature Design Studio," said John Joyce, corporate sales manager for Symmons. "This element of our company produces unique, custom-designed and custom-manufactured bathroom fittings for luxury hotels, resorts, destination locations, condominiums and upscale residential properties. After the Mohegan job was completed, we were actively seeking another assignment that would require custom engineering and design expertise."

As it turned out, Wackrow's vision involved the development of a completely original product design. The centerpiece of his vision was a brand new type of diverter, one which would be incorporated with the valve under one escutcheon rather than having the diverter separate from the valve. Further complicating the engineering challenge was the fact that the push-button diverter would not only be capable of redirecting the incoming flow to an accompanying handspray, but would have to default the flow back to the shower head position, even if the person who last used it had not reset it.

The ease of use of the system—and the diverter in particular—was necessitated in part by the influx of overseas guests to the hotel.

"We have a largely international clientele staying at Mandarin Oriental, New York," said Srikishun. "Often, there is a language barrier that requires the function of everything in the room to be quickly and easily interpreted."

Over the course of several months, Symmons engineers, hotel owners and design teams worked closely together in the Symmons Signature Design Studio. The mission was to create a new model from the ground up as they designed, refined and tested handsprays, valves, showerheads, and diverters, all with custom trim, until the entire system was flawless. In addition, it would reflect a distinctly modern design that is one of the signature elements of Mandarin Oriental.

Wackrow returned to the lab to offer further direction and tweak the design, and over time the oval-shaped devices were perfected and produced. Upon completion, each of the hotel's 277 elegant, spacious guestrooms and suites was equipped with two separate Symmons shower systems—one in each of the room's two bathrooms. One is a high-flow shower valve with diverter, a ceiling-mount drench showerhead and pulsating handspray. The other is a spa with the same valve/diverter, plus a Roman tub filler and deck-mounted handspray. Each reflects a distinct Asian flair that is one of the signature elements of Mandarin Oriental and sport a polished chrome finish which, along with high visual appeal and functionality, make the fittings highly resistant to chipping and scratching.

Behind each bathroom wall is a ¾-inch Symmons valve—larger than the standard ½-inch variety—to accommodate the systems' five gallon-per-minute water flow. Symmons originated and patented the principle of a fully pressure-balancing mixing valve over 60 years ago and has built a reputation for making reliable products for even the most demanding installations.

According to Srikishun, the system fulfilled another critical requirement that could not be overlooked.

"The Symmons systems are in full compliance with the provisions of the ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act]. That was extremely important to us."

Despite the impressive scope of the project, the full installation was completed in just over one month. The job was finished in stages, with certain floors being completed before others to make them ready for occupancy. The hotel has been fully operational for just over two years now, and guest feedback has provided a resounding approval of the shower experience.

"We get a lot of compliments on the bathrooms," said Srikishun. "There is an online blog for the hotel industry where people can comment on their experiences at different hotels. Many of these comments involve Mandarin Oriental's showers, with people making specific mention of the excellent water pressure, the temperature, and the overall look. The best comments are the ones from guests who say that the bathrooms give them a feeling of being home."

Wackrow looks back on the entire design process with a mixture of fondness and amazement.

"If you ever told me that I would be using a Symmons valve on my $800-a-night room at Mandarin Oriental, I'd have told you were crazy."

After hearing guest feedback, it doesn't seem like such a crazy idea anymore. In fact, based in large part on the experience of its New York counterpart, management at the new Mandarin Oriental being constructed in Boston is considering the services of Symmons's Signature Design Studio as well; Symmons has already submitted a design "look" that is under consideration.

If Mandarin Oriental, Boston has anywhere near the same experience with its bathrooms that New York did, there are going to be a lot of guests stepping out of the Boston hotel each morning with big smiles on their faces.

SOURCE: Mandarin Oriental