The Dorchester

One of London's longest standing luxury hotels, the Dorchester is an institution. It is housed in a purposefully built Art Deco building from 1931, on Park Lane overlooking Hyde Park. The hotel has excellent service, spacious rooms and bathrooms and all the amenities of a luxury hotel. However, where style of luxury hotels has mostly shifted towards the modern look, the Dorchester has kept its old world feel, with deliberately English-style furniture in the rooms. This may appeal to some, but not others. I rather liked it because it made know I was in London, rather at a luxury hotel that could be anywhere from Singapore to New York. Although I've stayed here a few times more than a decade ago, my only recent stay was one night in Sep 2012 on business. The rate was naturally expensive, but was not unreasonable for a Mayfair luxury hotel.

Looking across the soft green swathes of Hyde Park, The Dorchester is one of the most desirable places in the world to stay. It embodies the highest of traditional values, with spacious rooms and suites of great charm, glorious dining and entertaining, and a spa of exquisite indulgence. For over half a century the hotel has remained a pinnacle of luxury and ease.

Unique Quality: The Spa at The Dorchester is a retreat of complete and wonderful calm, with relaxing therapies, sauna, steam or whirlpool bath treatments. There are beauty services, and grooming and hairdressing for men and women. The gymnasium is fully equipped with the latest work-out machines with personal trainers on hand.

The Dorchester Spa is for the use of hotel guests, Spa members and also non members. The Hair Salon and the Barber Shop are also open to the public.

Directions: The Dorchester, Park Lane, London W1A 2HJ

My family has been going to the Dorchester hotel for the better part of Twenty years. It is now owned by the Sultan of Brunei. I am an amateur historian, so this hotel holds a special place in my heart. While the property was originally the home of Lord Dorchester. It also briefly served as the US embassy to the court of St James.

During World War II General Dwight D Eisenhower moved into a suite on the first floor. Now called the "Eisenhower Suite" His next door neighbor was Winston Churchill. There was a wall built between the balconies to provide privacy. It still exists today.

The Hotel has a prime location. Located directly across from Hyde Park and only a few block down from speakers corner and Marble Arch. Guest are never more then a few minutes cab ride from most popular London destinations.

The hotel maintains a very tight security team. They have to as they are consistently host to some of the world's wealthiest and visible people. My last stay there, I passed Morgan Freedman on our floor. The time before, I was unaware of it, but Angelina Jolie was an extended guest of the hotel. It has also been the hotel of choice for Nicole Kidman, Liz Taylor, Noel Coward, and a bevy of other A list celebrities. There seems to almost always be some form of paparazzi lurking outside the front doors. Which is why many stars use the service entrance.

This hotel is absolutely at the highest end for rooms, service and costs. With the pound at decade high rates, the Dorchester is even harder for the modest budget traveler to even consider. For the past two years the hotel seems to have been at near 100% occupancy, so I doubt they will look to lower their rates from £270 (read $590) per night for a standard room.

We often stay in one of the Dorchester Two bedroom suites. Roughly £1,200 ($2400) a night. They are very nice and are located at the ends of the hallways on several floors. There are though two special suites that I am lucky enough to have stayed in.

Unique Quality: The first is the Terrance Suite. It is located on the top of the hotel. Indeed you need to walkup one last flight of stairs to even get to the two bedroom suite. The Suite has a huge terrance overlooking the park. I enjoy an occasional cigar, and there are few places I have enjoyed a fine cuban in more then here. The suite has a large stocked kitchen, with a service entrance to the suite in the rear. There are 2 1/2 baths. The bathrooms, as with all Dorchester Group Hotels I have stayed at, are incredible. The bathtubs are huge and fitted with the finest old school controls.

The second suite, is considered the Hotels flagship accommodation. In 1953, The Dorchester’s owner, Robert McAlpine, hired Oliver Messel to design a luxury suite in which he himself would like to live. Messel was a highly successful theater and film designer. The suite is very spacious, decorated in pastels and floral patterns. There are hand painted silk walls, and other dramatic uses of fine fabrics. The furniture is comfortable. The suite is surrounded by a large curving terrance overlooking about 140 degrees of London finest. We did not want to leave. suite goes for around £2100 ($4,000) a night, so we left. : _

The bathroom products at the Dorechester are all made exclusively for the hotel. We enjoyed them, and tried to buy them when back home. If you enjoy them, bribe the maid, she will hook you up with enough to alarm customs.

Each room has a great TV setup, the living room has a TV, DVD and CD stereo. The walls are all painted in light pastels. The Dorchester suites all had three flat screen 32 inch TVS and a PC based system for music, internet and interactive TV. I have had my ups and downs with this system, but I offer kudos for their efforts.

The hotel has a great Cantonese restaurant called the Oriental Restaurant. The menu is exciting, yet pricey. The service was great. I highly recommend the Peking Duck. The Grill room is where you go for Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. It is a bit stuffy for me, but the food is great.

Directions: Go to marble Arch, Turn on Park :Lane along the Park. The hotel is on your Left.

The Dorchester, one of the top hotels in the world, achieved legendary status almost from the day it opened in April 1931 for its exceptional facilities, exemplary standards of service and excellent dining experiences.

For almost seventy years, The Dorchester has rightfully claimed its place as one of the very best hotels in London, if not the world. Luxurious, opulent, friendly, stylish, exclusive are all words that describe this legendary hotel. Located majestically overlooking London's Hyde Park, The Dorchester offers something for everyone:

Unique Quality: No two rooms have the same design or decorative scheme. They are decorated in a cosy, comfortable Georgian Country House style, characterized by the generous use of the highest quality, exclusive fabrics from Gainsborough, Percheron and Lelievre, hand mixed paint colors, original prints and oils and antique and reproduction furniture

Directions: Just off from Hyde Park