A review of the iconic Dorchester hotel in London

The Dorchester, London location

The Dorchester, London sits on Park Lane in one of the city’s fanciest neighborhoods, Mayfair. It is just across the street from Hyde Park, so you can get a breath of fresh air without having to stroll too far, though some of London’s best boutiques and restaurants are also a quick walk away.

The Dorchester, London booking details

The Dorchester has 171 rooms and 67 suites that range from impressive 312-square-foot superior rooms all the way up to the two-bedroom, 1,776-square-foot Harlequin Penthouse (coincidentally, this was Elizabeth Taylor’s favorite suite at the hotel).

Rates at The Dorchester start at 664 British pounds ($880) for a superior room, though the 1,087-square-foot Belgravia Suite I stayed in starts at around 2,960 pounds ($3,935) per night.

You can often find deals or packages by booking directly through the hotel’s website. Inclusions range from upgrades and on-property credits to complimentary transportation between the hotel and the airport.

Standout features

• This is the epitome of a fancy stay in London in one of the city’s most central locations.
• Suite decor is classically sumptuous and over-the-top … in a good way.
• Vesper Bar serves up some of the best (and strongest) cocktails in town.
• Service is solicitous and genuinely warm.

Drawbacks

• If your aesthetic tends toward the contemporary, the decor might feel too fusty.
• The subterranean wellness complex is fairly small.
• At this price point, even standard rooms are a splurge.

The vibe

Lords and ladies who lunch, mingling ministers and a nonstop parade of international jet-setters trooping through the lobby with their latest luxury purchases make for an entertaining scene as you sit down to a coffee or the decadent afternoon tea at The Dorchester’s flower-filled and gilt-crowned Promenade. This is, after all, one of London’s most storied addresses and has played host to royals and celebrities alike, including the late Queen Elizabeth II and Somerset Maugham. Don’t believe us? If you hear some piano music drifting toward you, steal a glance toward the mirror-tiled piano that once belonged to Liberace and still sounds as finely tuned as ever.

After a multiyear, multimillion-dollar renovation at the hands of designer Pierre-Yves Rochon, the hotel’s public spaces and accommodations are looking more lavish than ever. Meanwhile, Martin Brudnizki Design Studio was the force behind the transformation of the once-staid Dorchester Bar into the swanky Vesper Room, named in honor of frequent guest and James Bond creator Ian Fleming. Those with a discerning eye will notice the nature-inspired art pieces by British artists, including a cascading honeycomb-like installation behind the reception desk by Sophie Coryndon, throughout the hotel.

No request is too trying or outlandish for the staff of on-call butlers who are just the push of a telephone button away at all times, and you might just find a personalized amenity or two in your room to commemorate your stay.

The room

As part of the Rochon-directed revamp, the hotel’s hallways and guest rooms have adopted palettes inspired by England’s famous gardens, with dominant tones of daffodil yellow, pale mint green, heather blue and antique rose pink. The guest corridors, with custom-made Spanish Alarwool carpets replete with rococo flourishes and floral motifs resembling baroque tapestries, lean into the historical rather than the hip.

My Belgravia Suite on the first floor, adjacent to the elevators and overlooking the hotel’s facade, comprised capacious living quarters. There was a handsome wooden Chippendale-style dining set in case you wanted to order a meal in.

Tucked into the corner was a small work desk and the minibar stocked with fancy treats, including a full bottle of Dom Perignon, as well as an espresso machine.

The sitting area included a sofa and armchairs with floral upholstery, chinoiserie lamps and a large glass coffee table, where I found a welcome amenity that included a framed photo of me and my husband, all surrounding the wall-mounted flat-screen TV.

Just past this, I could open the French doors to enjoy some fresh air on the suite’s enormous private balcony, complete with lounge chairs and awnings, that was perched just over the hotel’s sign.

A short corridor from the living room, in which there was ample closet space, brought me to the bedroom and bathroom, which felt like an entire suite unto themselves.

The bedroom’s main lemon yellow hue was reflected throughout, including in a scalloped headboard and a de Gournay silk wall hand-painted with flowers and trees that framed the bed, which featured a cushy Vispring mattress that was a pleasure to sink into each evening.

The room had its own French doors out to the balcony, as well as a wall-mounted, flat-screen TV and a small vanity for primping.

A few steps beyond, the Carrara marble bathroom had heated floors, dual sinks, a deep soaking tub and a separate walk-in shower.

The hotel stocks custom-made, cruelty-free Wildsmith Skin products made specially for this outpost to reflect the locale, in this case with a heady scent of neroli, geranium and angelica root.

The Belgravia Suite felt like an opulent London pied-a-terre thanks to its generous footprint, gorgeous 18th-century-inspired textiles and panoply of luxurious touches like live orchids and ornate yet unfussy furnishings.

Food and drink at The Dorchester, London

The hotel is home to an impressive slate of diverse dining options. Front and center is the all-day Promenade, which resembles nothing so much as a drawing room belonging to a heroine from an Anthony Trollope novel thanks to the profusion of flowers and daintily set tables, the antiquity-inspired crown molding and the gold leaf accents.

At breakfast, you might enjoy options like ultrahealthy linseed oat and hazelnut porridge with raspberry, banana, pistachio and bee pollen ($21) and avocado with heritage tomato, tahini, basil and poached egg on toasted rye bread ($33).

One plus? If you book through Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts, the hotel actually serves breakfast 24 hours a day via room service, so you can do as I did and luxuriate in bed until noon and then place an order via tablet and still have it count as part of your booking benefit.

Later on in the day, you’ll find ladies lunching or lingering over a lavish afternoon tea service before the space transforms into an after-work drinks scene, especially around the Lalique-crystal Artists’ Bar toward the back.

The all-day a la carte menu includes everything from club sandwiches ($47) to caviar ($120 to $430), plus specialties like Cornish lobster and shrimp cocktail ($45) and Dover sole meuniere for two ($90).

Set off the Promenade, the hotel’s prime power lunch spot is a British celebrity chef steakhouse, The Grill by Tom Booton.

Tuck into specialties like speck-wrapped creamy stracciatella on witloof chicory ($8) and duck and almond pate en croute ($11) before slicing into a prime cut of beef like the filet mignon with classic bearnaise ($100) or a massive rib-eye with wild garlic and bone marrow butter ($93). You’d be remiss not to order a round of duck fat-fried chips with watercress mayonnaise ($13) and the fondantlike chocolate box ($12) for dessert.

Those who are really out to splurge, however, should make a reservation at the Michelin-starred Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester. The three-star restaurant’s seven-course tasting menu (don’t be fooled, you’ll be treated to plenty of amuse bouches and mignardises in the meantime) costs $380 and might include delicacies like hand-dived scallops with citrus beurre blanc and Kristal caviar and Cornish turbot filet with Provencal green peas and cardamom.

If you’re there for a special occasion, see if you can reserve the Table Lumiere, a dining area shrouded with curtains of fiber-optic lights that makes you feel like you are dining among the stars. You can even choose your own china to dine upon.

With an entrance right off Park Lane, the hotel’s new Vesper Bar feels like the swankiest spot in town thanks to art deco elements, a luminescent bar and velvet vignettes for confabulations over cocktails.

Of course, you must try the citrusy, 007-inspired Vesper martini with Stolichnaya Elit vodka, the Dorchester Old Tom gin, redistilled Forbidden Fruit liqueur, Del Duque sherry aged for an average of 30 years and Vesper scent ($33), but if you’re in the mood for something a little stodgier, the Turning Pages ($33) is meant to evoke the feeling of leafing through an ancient tome in a hushed library, with heady drams of Jack Daniel’s single-barrel whiskey, cognac, white port and paper syrup, all smoked and presented with a theatrical flair at your table.

The hotel is also home to one of London’s most venerable Cantonese establishments, China Tang, while those on the go can stop into Cake and Flowers on Deanery Street for bespoke bouquets and appealing pastries.

Amenities and service at The Dorchester, London

Down one level from reception, the hotel’s salon and nine-room spa feels like a tucked-away treat ready to pamper guests after a day out on the city’s busy streets, with diaphanous white curtains and a minimalist arrangement of custom-grown, blush-colored Dorchester roses.

Treatments incorporate high-end product lines, such as those from Natura Bisse and organic seaweed-based Ishga from Scotland.

There’s also a small gym, but guests seeking a more thorough workout can venture across the street to the hotel’s sister property, 45 Park Lane, to use its larger fitness facilities along with its subterranean swimming pool.

As for service, where to begin? From the moment you are greeted by the green-coated, top-hatted doormen to the time you check out, you will be made to feel like the most important guest who has ever darkened the hotel’s doorstep.

Receptionists and concierges will greet you by name on sight, and, if you are in a suite, you can call upon butler service day and night for needs great and small.

But even with all of that, it was the little touches — the spa attendant who took me on an ad hoc tour or the staff at Alain Ducasse who made sure I could take a peek before dinner service began when I casually mentioned I would not be dining there but would love to have a look, not to mention my butler personally fetching me a pot of peppermint tea when I had to wait a mere 20 minutes for the room to be ready — that set this stay apart and felt like the true embodiment of British hospitality.

Accessibility

Although it’s a historic landmark, the hotel has adopted current accessibility standards. There is a wheelchair-accessible entrance on Deanery Street, and all the public areas on the ground floor are accessible by wheelchair thanks to wide hallways and no steps. Public areas also feature accessible restrooms.

Accessible-designated accommodations, all reachable by elevator, include floor plans mapped out for wheelchairs, plus roll-in showers with seats and grab handles in addition to bathtubs with grab handles.

As with any stay, be sure to call the hotel directly to ensure you can book an accommodation that suits your specific needs.

Checking out