Dorchester Hotel
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| Dorchester Hotel | |
| Hotel facts and statistics | |
|---|---|
| Location | London, United Kingdom |
| Opening date | 1931 |
| Developer | Sir Malcolm McAlpine & Sir Frances Towle |
| Architect | Sir Owen Williams |
| No. of rooms | 244 |
| of which suites | 49 |
| Website | Official Site |
The Dorchester is a leading luxury hotel on Park Lane in Mayfair, London, overlooking Hyde Park. It has a reputation for providing hospitality for the rich and famous.
The Dorchester Hotel opened on 18 April 1931. It was created by Sir Malcolm McAlpine and Sir Frances Towle. In 1929, they bought the old Dorchester House, a large 19th century building, and quickly had it demolished. Sir Owen Williams was commissioned to design the new hotel. In the new edifice, the use of reinforced concrete allowed the creation of large internal spaces without support pillars. The construction, which was carried out by Sir Robert McAlpine,[1] was completed in 1931.
In World War II, its modern construction gave the hotel a reputation of being a very safe building. Cabinet Ministers such as Lord Halifax and Duff Cooper stayed there during this time. General Dwight D. Eisenhower arrived in 1942 after staying at Claridge's and stayed on the first floor (now the Eisenhower Suite). Winston Churchill had a wall built to add privacy to his balcony and it still exists today. Diners at the Dorchester from cultural circles during this period included Cyril Connolly, T. S. Eliot, Harold Nicolson and Edith Sitwell.
In 1988, the hotel closed for two years for a major refit. The hotel was completely updated and the Promenade, Grill Room and the Oliver Messel Suite were meticulously restored, to reopen in 1990.
Well-known actors who have stayed at the hotel include: Julie Andrews, Kim Basinger, Warren Beatty, Yul Brynner, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, Tom Cruise, Judy Garland, Johnny Depp, Dame Edna Everage, Charlton Heston, Nicole Kidman, James Mason, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Peter Sellers and Kenneth Horne (both of whom died there). Other famous entertainers who have been guests include: Michael Jackson, The Beatles, Cecil Beaton, Noel Coward, Marlene Dietrich, Duke Ellington, Prince (musician) and Somerset Maugham. The exiled Prime Minister of Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra resides at the Dorchester, having arrived in the UK the day after the coup d'état of September 19, 2006. [1]
The hotel was also featured in ITV's X Factor, in October 2006, as the location for Sharon Osbourne's bootcamp stages of the competition.
The Dorchester is managed and owned by the Dorchester Collection; a collection of five luxury hotels in the United Kingdom, the United States, France, and Italy. It was organized in 1996 to manage the hotel interests of the Brunei Investment Agency.
In Mr Jolly Lives Next Door, the unnamed characters played by Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson spend an evening at the hotel with Nicholas Parsons.
The hotel room featured in the conclusion of 2001: A Space Odyssey was modeled after The Dorchester.[2]
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