The Dorchester
The Dorchester was built of reinforced concrete, the most modern hotel in the world when it opened. In the Blitz it was thought the safest building in London, and half the government moved in.
- Class
- Five-star hotel
- Opened
- 1931
- Rooms
- About 250 rooms and suites
- Area
- Park Lane, facing Hyde Park
London this week
What sets The Dorchester apart
The Promenade
A long gilded room of marble columns that runs the length of the ground floor, where afternoon tea is served to a piano.
The war
General Eisenhower took a suite on the first floor in 1942 and again in 1944, and it is still named after him. Cabinet ministers slept in the Turkish baths in the basement during air raids.
The Oliver Messel suite
In 1953 the stage designer Oliver Messel decorated a set of rooms on the upper floors in the manner of one of his theatre sets. They have been kept as he made them.
Hyde Park
The park is across the road. The Serpentine is ten minutes' walk, and Kensington Palace forty across the grass.
What it has
- Afternoon tea in The Promenade
- The Grill
- Vesper Bar
- Spa
- Rooftop terrace
Where The Dorchester is
Address
53 Park LaneLondon W1K 1QA, United Kingdom
Nearest Tube
Hyde Park Corner, on the Piccadilly line, or Marble Arch on the Central line
Museums and sights nearby
- The National Gallery1.7 km
- Victoria and Albert Museum1.8 km
- Westminster Abbey1.9 km
- The British Museum2.2 km
- London Eye2.3 km
Distances are in a straight line from the hotel.
Concrete on Park Lane
The hotel stands where Dorchester House, a great private mansion, stood until 1929. It opened on 18 April 1931, with walls insulated in cork and seaweed so that no guest should hear another.
It was sold to the Sultan of Brunei in 1985 and gave its name to the Dorchester Collection, the group it now belongs to. The public rooms were redone between 2022 and 2023.
The Dorchester: common questions
- Where is The Dorchester?
- At 53 Park Lane, in Mayfair, London. The nearest Tube station is Hyde Park Corner, on the Piccadilly line, or Marble Arch on the Central line.
- Which museums and sights are near The Dorchester?
- The National Gallery is 1.7 km away, Victoria and Albert Museum is 1.8 km away, Westminster Abbey is 1.9 km away. Distances are in a straight line from the hotel.
- Does The Dorchester have a swimming pool?
- No. The Dorchester has no swimming pool, though it has a spa.
- When did The Dorchester open?
- In 1931. It has about 250 rooms and suites.
What visitors say about The Dorchester
Rating from Google
Tickets and tours near The Dorchester
Things to do near The Dorchester
The nearest of this site's best things to do in the city. Distances are in a straight line.
- 5Watch the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace1.0 km awayMonument, 1 to 2.5 hours, free to watch
- 4See Van Gogh's Sunflowers at the National Gallery1.7 km awayMuseum, 2 to 3 hours, free
- 14Go underground at the Churchill War Rooms1.7 km awayUnderground, 1.5 to 2 hours, ticket
- 10Lose an afternoon in the V&A1.8 km awayMuseum, 2 to 3 hours, free
Where to eat near The Dorchester
The nearest of the famous tables this site lists in London. Distances are in a straight line.
- Scott's4.6Seafood restaurant, Mayfair350 m away
- The Wolseley4.4Grand café, Piccadilly800 m away
- Wiltons4.7Oyster and game restaurant, St James's900 m away
- Bentley's Oyster Bar and Grill4.5Oyster bar, Piccadilly1.0 km away
Artists to see near The Dorchester
The museums nearest to here, and the most famous artists on show in each.
The National Gallery, 1.7 km away
- Jan van Eyck
- Paolo Uccello
- Piero della Francesca
- Giovanni Bellini
- Sandro Botticelli
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Michelangelo
- Raphael
- Titian
- Hans Holbein the Younger
- Caravaggio
- Peter Paul Rubens
- Anthony van Dyck
- Diego Velázquez
- Rembrandt
- Johannes Vermeer
- Canaletto
- William Hogarth
- George Stubbs
- Thomas Gainsborough
- J. M. W. Turner
- John Constable
- Édouard Manet
- Paul Cézanne
- Claude Monet
- Vincent van Gogh
- Georges Seurat
Victoria and Albert Museum, 1.8 km away
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Picture: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0
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