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The Dorchester

(Redirected fromDorchester Hotel)
"Dorchester Hotel" redirects here. For the song by The Sounds, seeCrossing the Rubicon (The Sounds album).
This article is about the hotel. For other uses, seeDorchester (disambiguation).

The Dorchesteris a five-star hotel located onPark Laneand Deanery Street inLondon,to the east ofHyde Park.It is one of the world's most prestigious hotels.[1][2]The Dorchester opened on 18 April 1931,[3]and it still retains its 1930s furnishings and ambiance despite being modernised.

Map
General information
TypeLuxury hotel
Town or cityMayfair,London
CountryEngland
Opened18 April 1931
OwnerBrunei Investment Agency
ManagementDorchester Collection
Design and construction
Architect(s)Owen Williams&William Curtis Green
Main contractorSir Robert McAlpine& Sir Frances Towle
Other information
Number of rooms250
Number of suites49
Website
Official website

Throughout its history, the hotel has been closely associated with the rich and famous. During the 1930s, it became known as a haunt of numerous writers and artists such as poetCecil Day-Lewis,novelistSomerset Maugham,and the painter SirAlfred Munnings.It has held prestigious literary gatherings, such as the "Foyles Literary Luncheons", an event the hotel still hosts today. During theSecond World War,the strength of its construction gave the hotel the reputation of being one of London's safest buildings, and notable members of political parties and the military chose it as their London residence.Queen Elizabeth IIattended the Dorchester when she was a princess on the day prior to the announcement of her engagement toPhilip Mountbattenon 10 July 1947. The hotel has since become particularly popular with film actors, models and rock stars, andElizabeth TaylorandRichard Burtonfrequently stayed at the hotel throughout the 1960s and 1970s. The hotel became a Grade IIListed Buildingin January 1981, and was subsequently purchased by theSultan of Bruneiin 1985. It belongs to theDorchester Collection,which in turn is owned by theBrunei Investment Agency(BIA), an arm of the Ministry of Finance ofBrunei.

In the 1950s, the stage set designerOliver Messelmade a number of changes to the interior of the hotel. Between 1988 and 1990, the hotel was completely renovated at a cost of US$100 million by Bob Lush of the Richmond Design Group.

Today The Dorchester has five restaurants:The Grill,Alain Ducasse,The Spatisserie,The Promenade,andChina Tang.Alain Ducasse's restaurant is one of the UK's five 3-Michelin-starred restaurants. Afternoon tea, a tradition which has taken place at the hotel since its opening in 1931, is served every day of the week at five in the afternoon inThe Promenadeand theSpatisserie.Harry Craddock,a well-known barman in the 1930s, invented the "Dorchester of London" cocktail here at the Dorchester Bar. A well-litplane treestands at the edge of the hotel in the front garden, and was named one of theGreat Trees of Londonby the London Tree Forum andCountryside Commissionin 1997.

History

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Background

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The site was originally part of the Manor of Hyde, which was given toWilliam the ConquerorbyGeoffrey de Mandeville.Joseph Dameracquired it in the 18th century and a large building was constructed in 1751. It was namedDorchester Housein 1792 after Damer became theEarl of Dorchester.In the early 19th century it became known asHertford Houseafter it was purchased byFrancis Seymour-Conway, the 3rd Marquess of Hertford,and alterations were made to it, inspired by theVilla Farneseof Rome.[citation needed]Following the death of Hertford, it was converted into a mansion by CaptainRobert Stayner Holford.

The background to the development of the Dorchester Hotel is complicated.[4]SirMalcolm McAlpine,a partner in the building companySir Robert McAlpine& Sons, and Sir Frances Towle, the managing director of Gordon Hotels, shared a vision of creating the 'perfect hotel': ultramodern and ultra-efficient, with all the conveniences modern technology could supply.[3]The two companies purchased Hertford House in 1929 and quicklydemolishedit.[5][6]TheBBChad also shown an interest in purchasing it and had almost done so prior to the McAlpine acquisition, but instead they turned their attention to Foley House.[7]The purchase and destruction of Hertford House was part of significant redevelopment which took place on Park Lane during this period; it followed the gutting ofGrosvenor Houseand the building of theGrosvenor House Hotel,which was completed in 1929.[8]

Construction

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The exterior

SirOwen Williamswas commissioned to design the new hotel, usingreinforced concreteto allow the creation of large internal spaces without support pillars, but he abandoned the project in February 1930 and was replaced withWilliam Curtis Green.[9][10]James Maude Richards,hired by Williams, served as an architectural assistant within the all-engineer staff.Percy Richard Morley Horder,consulting architect to Gordon's Hotels, had not been consulted during the design process and, after seeing the plan, resigned from the project, remarking toThe Observerthat the design was ill-suited for the location, assuming the concrete was to be left unpainted and that the insulation would be minimal. Some 40,000 tonnes of earth were excavated to make room for the hotel's extensive basement which is one-third of the size of the hotel above the surface.[10]The upper eight floors were erected in just 10 weeks, supported on a massive 3 feet (0.91 m) thick reinforced concrete deck that forms the roof of the first floor.[10]With the development of the Dorchester, concerns were raised that Park Lane would soon becomeNew York City'sFifth Avenue.[8]

1931–1945

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Somerset Maugham

The new Dorchester Hotel was feted with a grand opening on 18 April (21 April also cited) 1931 by LadyViolet Astor.[11]The Dorchester quickly gained reputation as a luxury hotel.[12]During the 1930s it became known as a haunt of numerous writers and artists such as poetCecil Day-Lewis,novelistSomerset Maugham,and the painter SirAlfred Munnings.There were prestigious literary gatherings, including "Foyles Literary Luncheons", an event the hotel still hosts.[13][14][15]Shortly after the opening,Sir Percival David,a leading admirer ofChinese porcelain,moved his growing collection from theMayfair Hotelto the Dorchester, where he kept it in his suites for many years.[16]Danny Kayebegan appearing incabaretat the hotel in the 1930s, initially earning £50 a week.[13]Many blues and jazz artists appeared at the hotel, includingAlberta Hunterand theJack Jackson Orchestra.In 1934, Hunter was the vocalist on Jackson's recordings ofNoël Coward's "I Travel Alone" andCole Porter's "Miss Otis Regrets" at the hotel; both Coward and Porter were fans.[17]It also became a rendezvous for many businessmen; it was at the Dorchester thatBPformed a joint Collaborate Committee withICIin 1943.[18]

During theSecond World War,the strength of its construction gave the hotel the reputation of being one of London's safest buildings.[19]On its opening,Sir Malcolm McAlpinedeclared it to be "bomb-proof, earthquake-proof and fireproof," and the only damage inflicted on the building by theLuftwaffeduring the war was several broken windows.[20]Some felt the communal air-raid shelter in the basement to be insufficiently exclusive and retreated to the hotel's underground gymnasium and Turkish baths, which had been converted into a shelter byVictor Cazalet.[21]Its wartime clientele includedLord Halifax(Foreign Minister),Oliver Stanley(Minister for War), Air Chief Marshal SirCharles Portal(Chief of the Air Staff),Duff Cooper(with his wifeLady Diana Cooper),Oliver Lyttleton(President of the Board of Trade) andDuncan Sandys(Financial Secretary to the War Office).[22]Halifax and his wife took eight rooms as well as a chapel in the hotel,[23]and when possible he enjoyed trysts with his mistress,Alexandra "Baba" Metcalfe,who was also staying in the hotel and concurrently having an affair withDino Grandi,Mussolini's representative in London.[24]

GeneralDwight D. Eisenhowertook a suite on the first floor (now theEisenhower Suite) in 1942 after having previously stayed atClaridge's,and in 1944 he made it his headquarters;[6]Kay Summersby,his chauffeur and purported mistress, and Roosevelt's representativeAverell Harrimanalso stayed there thanks to its reputation as a safe haven.[25][26]During a dinner party which Harriman attended in the Dorchester, the bombing was so intense that guests came down to join him there as it was safer than in the upper-floor rooms.[26]BostonianSherry ManganofTimewas one of several American correspondents who stayed at the hotel during the war, meeting theTrotskyistSam Gordon in 1944, who asked if the Dorchester was safe from air raids, to which Mangan assured him that "every fifth columnist in London is staying here".[27]Other hotel guests reflected the directors' wide-ranging political beliefs: it was at once the base for theZionistmovement's leaders, includingChaim Weizmann,as well as a group of upper-class British anti-Semites, includingMargaret Greville.[28]According toCecil Beatonthe clientele was a "mixed brew";[29]to its wartime chronicler, it was "a building in which the respectable and the dubious mixed by the thousand, knocking back cocktails and indulging in careless talk".[30]In March 1945,Ernest HemingwayandTimecorrespondent and loverMary Welshstayed at the Dorchester,[31]where they were entertained byEmerald, Lady Cunard,who had a three-room suite on the seventh floor.[32]

Post-war

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A blackBentley Continental Flying Spurbelonging to the Dorchester.

In 1949, the 150th anniversary ofAlexander Pushkin's birth was organised at the hotel by the Society of Cultural Relations with theUSSR,attended by the Soviet chargé d'affaires, the Polish ambassador, the Romanian minister, andCecil Day-Lewis,raisingMI5's suspicions that he still had communist sympathies,[33]a contention he later denounced. In the post-war period, the Dorchester became one of the most popular hotels in London for actors and entertainers, and the banqueting rooms and suites became known for their press conferences and parties.[citation needed]Diners at the Dorchester includedCyril Connolly,T. S. Eliot,Harold Nicolson,Edith Sitwell,Ralph Richardson,Elizabeth Taylor,Alfred Hitchcock,andBarbra Streisand.Queen Elizabeth IIattended the Dorchester when she was a princess on the day prior to the announcement of her engagement toPhilip Mountbattenon 10 July 1947.[13]Philip also held hisstag nightparty at the hotel, which has been documented in a plaque.[6]

WhenSaid bin Taimurof Oman was ousted in a coup in July 1970 and replaced with his sonQaboos bin Said,he was sent in exile and lived at the Dorchester until his death in 1972.[34]The McAlpine family owned the hotel until 1977 when they sold it to a consortium of businessmen from the Middle East headed by theSultan of Brunei.[19][6]On 3 June 1982,Shlomo Argov,the Israeli ambassador to the United Kingdom was shot and seriously injured in an assassination attempt as he left the Dorchester. The attack was the immediate cause for the1982 Lebanon War.[35]

In 1985, the hotel was purchased by the Sultan of Brunei.[36]The hotel is currently owned by theDorchester Collection,which in turn is owned by theBrunei Investment Agency(BIA), an arm of the Ministry of Finance ofBrunei.The Dorchester Collection owns luxury hotels in the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Switzerland and Italy. In 1988, the hotel closed for two years for a major refurbishment.

In June 1998 the brother of the Sultan of Brunei,Prince Jefri Bolkiah,was sued by his former business partners in a case that was settled out of court.[37]During the case the Manoukians claimed that Prince Jefri kept 40 prostitutes at a time at the Dorchester.[38]In 1999, the hotel hosted the first everPride of Britain Awards.[39]In March 2002, a robbery took place in the lobby of the hotel when thieves wearing ski masks smashed the jewellery cabinets with a sledgehammer and took off with jewels.[40]The Dorchester celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2011. To mark the event, the charity 'Trees for Cities' planted eighty 'future great trees' around the capital.[41]

From about 1985 to 2018, the hotel hosted the annualPresidents Clubcharity dinner, a "mainstay of London's social calendar".[42]The charity disbanded in 2018 after reports that hired hostesses had been sexually harassed and assaulted by the all-male guests.[43]

Architecture

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Exterior

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The exterior facade of the Dorchester

The architectural style adopted by William Curtis Green, largely based on Owen William's design, was a departure from theNeoclassicalwith its reinforced concrete covered over withterrazzoslabs.[44][4]BritishModernistswere disappointed with the result, describing Green's adaptation as, "a genteel period piece which looks the compromise it is".[45]In comparison to some of the other hotels in London such as the Lanesborough, the building's exterior is unremarkable. It is eight storeys high aside from the ground floor, with the central bay containing three windows on each floor. Christopher Matthew has stated that he thinks of the Dorchester as a "rather American hotel", not only because of the strong association with American actors such as Elizabeth Taylor, but because the sweeping 1930s facade reminded him of many of those which appeared in American film musicals.[46]However, he notes that the hotel still remains "very much an English hotel".[46]The hotel became a Grade IIListed Buildingin January 1981.[47]

Interior

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The interior displays a "subtle amalgam of styles", testament to the number of different designers involved over the years, includingWilliam Curtis Green,Oliver Frederick Ford,Alberto PintoandOliver Messel.[citation needed]Green designed the original interior which is still retained in part.[citation needed]Kim Einhorn believes that this fusion of style was achieved tastefully and has remarked that the Dorchester Hotel is "a good example of somewhere it may be better to add decor rather than completely re-invent".[48]DK Eyewitnessdescribes the Dorchester as "the epitome of the glamorous luxury hotel, with an outrageously lavish lobby and a star-studded history".[49]

Gold leaf and marble remain distinct features of the public rooms of the hotel, including the restaurants, with features more reminiscent of an English country house than a hotel.[50]Considerable efforts to make the rooms soundproof at the Dorchester were made from the outset; the exterior walls were faced with cork, and the floors and ceilings of the bedrooms and suites were lined with compressed seaweed.[13]Following renovation, the hotel was fitted with double glazing, and triple glazing on the Park Lane side to further improve soundproofing.[13]

In the 1950s, stage set designer Oliver Messel made significant changes to the interior of the hotel. He incorporated aspects of stage design into the hotel interior, and designed the lavish apartments on the 7th and 8th floors.[13]AsCountry Lifedocumented, Messel's rooms at the hotel "represents a rare glimpse into the world of mid-20th-century interior design", in which he drew upon his skills as a theatre designer to fill his rooms with "tricks of space and light, colour and period reference".[51]Today one of the suites is named after him, the Oliver Messel Suite,[13]designed in the Georgian country house style. Messel made the changes on the Deanery Side of the building in 1952–3.[6]Oliver Frederick Fordserved as consultant designer from 1962, decorating both the Stanhope Suite and the Orchid Room, a corner of which was completely re-built and decorated in the Englishrococostyle.[52]He also remodelled the white, gold, and green entrance hall. The current dark green staff uniform of The Dorchester was designed in 1980 and is also attributed to Ford.[53]

Between 1988 and 1990, the hotel was completely renovated by Bob Lush of the Richmond Design Group at a cost of $100 million.[citation needed]Liberace's piano sits in the lobby.[54]

As of 2012, the Dorchester has 250 rooms and 49 suites.[44]In the rooms, specially made Irish linen sheets cover the four poster beds, with cherry wood furnishings.[44]The bath tubs, cited as "probably the deepest in London",[49]are made of Italianmarblein the Art Deco style. All rooms in the hotel either provide views of Hyde Park or of its landscaped terraces.[55]During the major renovation of 2002, all rooms and suites were fitted with modern telecommunication systems.[56]The hotel has its ownfloristryteam who are responsible for regularly updating the flowers on display in the hotel and providing their services for weddings and special occasions.[57]

In 2023 the Dorchester revealed extensive refurbishments, including guestrooms and suites designed byPierre-Yves Rochonand the renamed Vesper Bar byMartin Brudnizki.[58][59]

Restaurants

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The Table Lumière atAlain Ducasse at the Dorchester

The Dorchester has five restaurants:The Grill,Alain Ducasse,The Spatisserie,The Promenade,andChina Tang,and three bars, two of which are in the last two restaurants.[44]Employing 90 full-time chefs,[60]the hotel has long had a reputation for its cuisine, and chefs such asJean Baptiste Virlogeux,Eugene Kaufeler, Willi Elsener andAnton Mosimannhave all run restaurants there.[13]Mosimann ran theMaitre Chef des Cuisinesat the Dorchester for 13 years. Virlogeux, head chef during the Second World War, had to succumb to rationing and a national maximum-price restriction of five shillings for a three-course meal.[13]

Alain Ducasse's restaurant,Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester,holds three Michelin stars. When refurbished along with other parts of the hotel in 2007, the redesign purposefully retained its 1940s influence.[49]The restaurant serves contemporaryFrench cuisineusing seasonal French and British ingredients.[61]The restaurant features a special table for up to six diners called the "Table Lumière", lit by 4500fibre opticlights. It is surrounded by a thin white curtain which allows diners at the table to view out into the restaurant but prevents other diners from viewing in.

The Grillrestaurant, which serves British cuisine, is decorated in aMoorishtheme, attributed toKing Alfonso's influence during his time in London in exile in the 1930s. The cream-painted walls feature gilded gratings and mirrored arches and display aFlemishtapestry. The ceilings are ornate, featuring gold leaves and brass chandeliers, and the room also features deep red riveted leather chairs and deep red curtains, with a Middle Eastern-looking exotic carpet.[citation needed]According to restaurant criticJay Rayner,"when you drill down on the menu it's what the faded gentry used to call high tea. It's nursery food at stupid prices."[62]

The Promenadewas refurbished in 1990 by Leslie Wright with a gilded ceiling and reliefs and brass lanterns, and was altered again in 2005 byThierry Despont,who fitted it with an oval leather bar; it forms the grand entrance and has a length which is equal to that ofNelson's Column.[63]Piano music is played throughout much of the day, with livejazzfrom 19:30.[63]Afternoon tea, a tradition which has taken place at the hotel since its opening in 1931,[64]is served every day of the week at five in the afternoon in the largePromenadeand theSpatisserie,[65]with guests seated in decorative upholstered sofas with low tables placed in front of them. The tables are set with elegant silver cutlery and crockery, with Corinthian columns made of marble, glitteringchandeliers,French tapestries and potted plants in the background.[66]Tea is served by waiters dressed in English-style long coats. Hollywood actorCharlton Heston,a frequent guest at the hotel, once commented on the aspect of service at the hotel: “The cooks and bakers, the clerks and porters, the maids and the flower ladies, the bell menarethe hotel”.[12]

The Promenade

The choice of tea offered to the guests is diverse, and includes the hotel's own Dorchester Blend. The service includes a first course consisting of finger sandwiches with slicedcucumber,cream cheese,andsmoked salmon,all served in silver trays, a second course consisting ofsconeswith clotted cream and jam, followed by a pastry tray with a selection of freshly madepatisseries.[66]

China Tangis owned by the businessmanDavid Tangand was opened in 2005. The restaurant is luxuriously designed, with an art deco lounge bar reminiscent of 1930s Shanghai.[67]The Spatisserieis an informal restaurant, which specialises in light snacks and afternoon tea, serving cakes, biscuits and pastries.[68]

The Dorchester Bar was initially rebuilt in 1938 and was run byHarry Craddock,one of the world's most famous barmen of the period, known for hisMartini,ManhattanandWhite Ladycocktails.[69]Craddock invented the "Dorchester of London" cocktail here in the 1930s.[70]The bar was refurbished in 1979.[13]

Grounds

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Green horse outside The Dorchester

Aplane tree,with its monumental root system, stands at the edge of the hotel in the well-tended front garden. The branches of the tree are fitted with numerous bulbs which makes the night scene of the hotel evocative.[71]Named one of the "Great Trees of London"by the London Tree Forum andCountryside Commissionin 1997,[72]it featured in a BBC programmeMeetings with Remarkable Treesin 2000.[13]

Entertainment

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Elizabeth TaylorandRichard Burtonfrequented The Dorchester.

The hotel has continued to be associated with actors, rock stars and people in entertainment. Numerous film actors and people have auditioned, been interviewed or have stayed at the Dorchester over the years, and it is strongly associated with cinema, particularly American film. From the 1940s onwards the Dorchester was a common rendezvous for film producers, actors and casting agents. In 1940,Gabriel PascalandDavid Leanused Pascal's hotel suite as the casting location for the movieMajor Barbara;Deborah Kerr,who auditioned for the film, said of it: "How bizarre it was. This room full of chaps smoking enormous cigars and drinking martinis and this young girl reciting the Lords' Prayer."[73]

In the 1940s, producerEarl St. Johnwas found drunk at the hotel; writer and co-producerEric Amblerpromptly sent him back toJohn Davisin a taxi with a board around his neck with the words "Return to John Davis with compliments".[74]Ray Bradburystayed at the hotel during the filming ofMoby Dick(1956).[75]In 1964,John Lennonwas invited to attend one of the Foyle Literary Luncheons after he received acclaim for his bookIn His Own Write.John andCynthiawere unaware of the high profile of the event and attended with a hangover, with Lennon disappointing the crowd which had gathered at the Dorchester who were expecting a speech, simply muttering "Thank you very much, it's been a pleasure".[76]Richard BurtonandElizabeth Taylorwere regulars at the hotel throughout the 1960s and 1970s and spent their honeymoon in the Oliver Messel suite in March 1964.[77]

The hotel has also hosted many footballers attending theF.A. Cup Finalsover the years, and in 1961Leicester Cityplayers checked in before playingTottenham Hotspur.[78]Taylor and Burton were staying there at the time.[78]In 1972,Raquel WelchvisitedStamford Bridgeand invited theChelsea Football Clubteam back to a cocktail party at the Dorchester, which was also attended by theRolling Stones.[78]In 2003,Ken Batesagreed to sell Chelsea Football Club toRoman Abramovichafter they met for 20 minutes at the hotel.[78]It was also at a Dorchester suite that actorChristian Balewas alleged to have assaulted his mother and sister shortly beforeThe Dark Knightpremiere in July 2008 and was subsequently arrested.[79][80]

Boycotts

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In 2014, numerous celebrities started boycotting the hotel due to its links, via the sultanate, to the introduction ofSharia lawinBrunei,which includes the death penalty for various forms of immorality.[81][82]

In March 2019,George Clooneyrenewed calls for the Dorchester and other hotels owned by the sultanate to be boycotted, after the sultanate adopted a policy of death by stoning as punishment for gay sex.[83]In April 2019, Clooney's call was echoed byEllen DeGeneresandElton John.[84]The same month,Deutsche Bankbanned its staff from staying at Brunei-owned hotels; theFinancial Timesand theTV Choiceawards said they would cancel events that had been planned at the Dorchester; and theEnglish National Ballet,theMake-A-Wish FoundationandTempus Magazinesaid they would review their associations with the Dorchester.[85]Protesters demonstrated outside the Dorchester against the sultanate's policies.[86]ThePolice Federation of England and Walescancelled plans to host its awards ceremony at the venue.[87]

See also

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References

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  1. ^Richardson 1997,p. 41.
  2. ^Porter & Prince 2003,p. 102.
  3. ^ab"The Dorchester history".GreenwichMeanTime.Retrieved19 February2011.
  4. ^abCharlton & Powers 2007,p. 83.
  5. ^"Lord Morley has sold Dorchester House, Park Lane",The Times,16 July 1929
  6. ^abcdeWeinreb & Keay 2011,p. 244.
  7. ^Dean 1983,p. 72.
  8. ^abWeightman & Humphries 2007,p. 113.
  9. ^Richards 2013,p. 29.
  10. ^abc"The Dorchester Hotel".Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd.Retrieved19 February2011.
  11. ^Rijks 2011,p. 72.
  12. ^abRichardson 1997,pp. 41–42.
  13. ^abcdefghijk"History of The Dorchester".The Dorchester.Retrieved8 September2013.
  14. ^The Bookseller.J. Whitaker. 1978. p. 3078.Retrieved8 September2013.
  15. ^Rennison 2007,p. 37.
  16. ^Pierson 2007,p. 148.
  17. ^Aldrich & Wotherspoon 2013,p. 257.
  18. ^Bamberg 2000,p. 344.
  19. ^abRussell 1988.
  20. ^Sweet 2012,p. 89.
  21. ^Sweet 2012,pp. 92–93.
  22. ^Sweet 2012,p. 92.
  23. ^Block 1940,p. 360.
  24. ^Sweet 2012,p. 93.
  25. ^West 2009,p. 285.
  26. ^abParrish 2009,p. 239.
  27. ^Wald 1983,p. 192.
  28. ^Sweet 2012,pp. 93–95.
  29. ^Sweet 2012,p. 95.
  30. ^Sweet 2012,p. 82.
  31. ^Schaefer 2000,p. 225.
  32. ^Sweet 2012,p. 96.
  33. ^Smith 2012,p. 58.
  34. ^Maisel & Shoup 2009,p. 388.
  35. ^"BBC ON THIS DAY: Israeli ambassador shot in London".BBC News.3 June 1982.Retrieved8 August2013.
  36. ^"Dorchester Hotel Calirls and the 'Playboy Prince'".Birmingham Post.20 February 1998.[dead link]
  37. ^"Prince 'kept 40 girls at Dorchester'".The Independent.20 February 1998.Archivedfrom the original on 18 June 2022.Retrieved8 September2013.
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  42. ^Marriage, Madison (23 January 2018)."Men Only: Inside the charity fundraiser where hostesses are put on show".Financial Times.Retrieved24 January2018.
  43. ^"Presidents Club to close after shocking details of sexist behaviour emerge".The Independent.24 January 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 18 June 2022.Retrieved24 January2018.
  44. ^abcdStrachan 2012,p. 350.
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  46. ^abMatthew 1976,p. 89.
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  49. ^abcAtkinson, Hall & Szudek 2012,p. 97.
  50. ^Fodor's (13 August 2013).Fodor's London 2014.Fodor's Travel Publications. p. 406.ISBN978-0-7704-3220-1.
  51. ^Country Life.Country Life, Limited. 2002. p. 108.Retrieved8 September2013.
  52. ^Time and Tide 1965,p. 181.
  53. ^Lomas 2001,p. 95.
  54. ^Crombie, David (6 February 2023)."Liberace's Piano at The Dorchester".World Piano News.Retrieved4 September2024.
  55. ^"Rooms and Suits".The Dorchester.Retrieved8 September2013.
  56. ^Byfield 2001,p. 54.
  57. ^"Florist at The Dorchester".The Dorchester Collection. Archived fromthe originalon 18 October 2013.Retrieved29 October2013.
  58. ^Rogers, Cara (13 June 2023)."The Dorchester reveals transformation by Pierre-Yves Rochon".Sleeper Magazine.Retrieved1 July2024.
  59. ^Portee, Allyson (27 February 2023)."Of Style And New Design: The Vesper Bar At The Dorchester London Is Stylishly Elegant".Forbes.Retrieved1 July2024.
  60. ^Editors of Time Out 2010,p. 69.
  61. ^"Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester".Time Out.18 October 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 22 April 2010.Retrieved21 December2013.
  62. ^Rayner, Jay (28 December 2014)."Dorchester Grill: restaurant review".The Guardian.Retrieved6 January2015.
  63. ^ab"The Promenade".The Dorchester.Retrieved8 September2013.
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  65. ^"Afternoon Tea".Officialwebsite of Dorchester Hotel.Retrieved8 September2013.
  66. ^abRichardson 1997,p. 41-42.
  67. ^Ashton, James (6 November 2012)."An Olympic legacy? Sir David Tang backs the Bard every time".The Evening Standard,London.Retrieved8 September2013.
  68. ^"The Spatisserie".The Dorchester.Retrieved8 September2013.
  69. ^Newman 2013,p. 84.
  70. ^Williams 2012,p. 111.
  71. ^Time Out 2010,p. 20.
  72. ^"Trees and the Public Realm"(PDF).City of Westminster. December 2009. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 16 October 2013.Retrieved8 September2013.
  73. ^Capua 2010,p. 10.
  74. ^Drazin 2007,p. 38.
  75. ^McGilligan 1997,p. 61.
  76. ^Edmondson 2010,p. 66.
  77. ^McComb, Richard (11 May 2013)."For Stars Hotel; She Is the Grand Old Lady of London Hotels and a Favourite of the Rich and Famous".The Birmingham Post. Archived fromthe originalon 24 September 2015.Retrieved21 December2013.
  78. ^abcdGlinert 2009,p. 22.
  79. ^Fife-Yeomans 2010,p. 313.
  80. ^"Christian Bale arrested for 'assault on mother and sister'".The Independent.23 July 2008.Archivedfrom the original on 18 June 2022.Retrieved8 September2013.
  81. ^"Boycott of Sultan's hotels pits Anna Wintour v Kate Middleton".The Week.17 June 2014.Retrieved16 January2015.
  82. ^"Stephen Fry boycotts Brunei-owned hotel chain The Dorchester Collection after country passes 'stone the gays' law".The Independent.28 April 2014.Archivedfrom the original on 18 June 2022.Retrieved16 January2015.
  83. ^Wintour, Patrick (29 March 2019)."George Clooney calls for hotels boycott over Brunei's LGBT laws".The Guardian.Retrieved29 March2019.
  84. ^"Ellen DeGeneres joins George Clooney in boycott of Brunei-owned hotels over anti-LGBT+ law".The Independent.3 April 2019.Archivedfrom the original on 18 June 2022.Retrieved3 April2019.
  85. ^Waterson, Jim (5 April 2019)."Companies abandon Brunei's Dorchester hotel over gay sex law".The Guardian.
  86. ^Doward, Jamie (6 April 2019)."RAF and Royal Navy urged to cut ties to sultan of Brunei over anti-gay law".The Guardian.Retrieved6 April2019.
  87. ^Murphy, Simon (10 April 2019)."Police cancel event at Brunei-owned hotel over anti-LGBT laws".The Guardian.Retrieved10 April2019.
Bibliography

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