Dorchester Collection

In 1987, the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, bought the Dorchester Hotel and the Beverly Hills Hotel and then transferred the ownership to the Brunei Investment Agency in 1991.{{cite web |url=http://www.catererandhotelkeeper.co.uk/operator/33983|title=Dorchester Group|publisher=The Caterer|access-date=July 9, 2014}} The Audley Group, owned by the BIA, was established in 1996 to manage the hotels under one company. Later, the Audley Group became the Dorchester Group Limited.{{cite web|url=http://www.companiesintheuk.co.uk/Company/AllDocuments/dorchester-group|title=Dorchester Group Limited|publisher=Companies in the UK|access-date=July 9, 2014}} The Dorchester Group Ltd. owns the Dorchester Collection which was established in 2006 to manage several luxury hotels in Europe and the United States. The Dorchester Collection manages nine luxury hotels.{{cite web|url=http://www.dorchestercollection.com/en/los-angeles/hotel-bel-air |title=Hotel Bel-Air|publisher=Dorchester Collection|access-date=July 9, 2014}}{{cite web | url =http://www.hospitalitynet.org/brand/23000415.html | title=Dorchester Collection |publisher=Hospitality Net|access-date=July 9, 2014}}{{cite news|title=Tasty treats spice up summer at Dorchester Collection hotels from London to LA|publisher=Examiner|date=June 6, 2012|author=Patti Pietschmann}} The hotels are a mix of wholly owned and part-owned hotels as the Dorchester Collection acquires them and manages them on behalf of third party owners.

In 2025, Philippe Leboeuf was named as CEO.{{cite news |url=https://hotelsmag.com/news/philippe-leboeuf-named-ceo-of-dorchester-collection/|title=Philippe Leboeuf named CEO of Dorchester Collection|publisher=Hotels Mag|access-date=16 April 2025}}

Dorchester Collection owns and manages ten five-star luxury hotels:{{Cite web |title=Explore Dubai {{!}} Dorchester Collection |url=https://www.dorchestercollection.com/dubai |access-date=2024-01-21 |website=www.dorchestercollection.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Dorchester Collection {{!}} 5-star luxury hotels {{!}} Dorchester Collection |url=https://www.dorchestercollection.com/ |access-date=2024-01-21 |website=www.dorchestercollection.com |language=en-US}}

• The Dorchester (London)
• 45 Park Lane (London)
• Coworth Park (southwest of London)
• Le Meurice (Paris)
• Plaza Athénée (Paris)
• Principe di Savoia (Milan)
• Hotel Eden (Rome)
• The Beverly Hills Hotel (Beverly Hills)
• Hotel Bel-Air (Los Angeles)
• The Lana (Dubai)

The company is planning a property in Tokyo, Japan, that is set to open in 2028.{{Cite web |title=Announced: Luxury Tokyo Hotel {{!}} Dorchester Collection |url=https://www.dorchestercollection.com/tokyo/tokyo |access-date=2024-01-21 |website=www.dorchestercollection.com |language=en-US}}

• Alain Ducasse and China Tang at The Dorchester{{cite web|url=http://www.dorchestercollection.com/en/london/the-dorchester/restaurants-bars|title=Restaurants & Bars|publisher=The Dorchester|access-date=July 9, 2014}}
• Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée
• Restaurant le Meurice Alain Ducasse
• La Terrazza at Hotel Eden{{cite web|url=http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/154000320/4062203.html|title=Dorchester Collection to Manage Rome's Iconic Hotel Eden|publisher=Hospitality Net|date=September 18, 2013|access-date=July 9, 2014}}
• Wolfgang Puck at Hotel Bel-Air{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestravelguide/2012/01/13/an-inside-look-at-wolfgang-pucks-new-restaurant-at-hotel-bel-air/ |title=An Inside Look At Wolfgang Puck's New Restaurant At Hotel Bel-Air|author=Forbes Travel Guide|work=Forbes|date=January 13, 2012|access-date=July 9, 2014}}
• Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel{{cite web|url=http://la-confidential-magazine.com/dining/articles/the-polo-lounge-beverly-hills-it-restaurant|title=See and Be Seen at The Polo Lounge|author=Eric Rosen|publisher=Los Angeles Confidential |access-date=July 9, 2014}}
• Woven by Adam Smith at Coworth Park{{cite web|url=https://www.dorchestercollection.com/en/ascot/coworth-park/restaurants-bars/woven-by-adam-smith/ |title=Gourmet Hotels in the UK|publisher=Condé Nest Traveller|access-date=July 9, 2014}}
• CUT at 45 Park Lane{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/reviews/cut-at-45-park-lane-london-w1-6260021.html|title=Cut at 45 Park Lane, London W1|work=The Independent|author=Amol Rajan|date=November 13, 2011|access-date=July 9, 2014}}
• Acanto at Hotel Principe di Savoia{{cite web|url=http://vivimilano.corriere.it/ristoranti/acanto-hotel-principe-savoia_1902736061124.shtml|title=Acanto dell'Hotel Principe di Savoia|publisher=VivaMilano|author=Valerio M. Visintin|date=October 15, 2013|access-date=July 9, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714151518/http://vivimilano.corriere.it/ristoranti/acanto-hotel-principe-savoia_1902736061124.shtml|archive-date=July 14, 2014}}

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, via his Brunei Investment Agency (BIA) owning the Dorchester Collection hotels, raised concern abroad in April 2014 by implementing the Sharia law penal code that includes death by stoning, the severing of limbs, and flogging for what are regarded to be crimes in Brunei such as abortions, adultery, and homosexual acts. None are exempted from the Sharia Law regardless of the classes they are in and the laws only apply in Brunei's border. Brunei has a complex legal system that consists of two parts which involve separate courts and legislation for Islamic and non-Islamic citizens.{{cite report|date= November 2005|title= Brunei Darussalam|url= http://www.law.yale.edu/rcw/rcw/jurisdictions/asse/bruneidarussalam/frontpage.pdf|publisher= Yale Law School|access-date= 2014-07-11|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100726172417/http://www.law.yale.edu/rcw/rcw/jurisdictions/asse/bruneidarussalam/frontpage.pdf|archive-date= 2010-07-26|url-status= dead}}

In protest, a United States national LGBT advocacy organization, the Gill Action Fund, canceled its reservation to hold a conference of major donors at the Beverly Hills Hotel and demanded a refund of its deposit. The hotel management responded by issuing a statement asserting that it does not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/beverly-hills-hotel-boycotted-by-697712|title=Beverly Hills Hotel Boycotted by LGBT Group Over Sultan of Brunei Ownership (Report)|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=April 19, 2014|access-date=July 11, 2014}} Fashion designers Brian Atwood and Peter Som subsequently called for wider protests, urging the fashion industry to boycott all of the hotels owned by the Dorchester Collection.{{cite web|url=http://www.queerty.com/how-a-stay-at-this-iconic-los-angeles-hotel-supports-the-stoning-to-death-of-gays-in-brunei-20140422|title=How A Stay At This Iconic Los Angeles Hotel Supports The Stoning To Death Of Gays In Brunei|publisher=Queerty|access-date=July 11, 2014}} The Beverly Hills Hotel, long a popular spot for celebrity functions, has been rejected by much of Hollywood over the controversy.[http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/05/10/us/brunei-ownership-casts-a-shadow-on-a-hollywood-hotel.html Brunei Ownership Casts a Shadow on a Beverly Hills Hotel], The New York Times, May 10, 2014. HR Magazine said that the protests are "misguided" and will not affect the government policy of Brunei when the Dorchester Collection's annual revenue is $300 million while the BIA has over $30 billion in assets from oil and gas.{{cite web|url=http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/hro/features/1144153/dorchester-collection-protest-wrong|title=Why the Dorchester Collection protest is wrong|author=Arvind Hickman|publisher=HR Magazine|date=May 19, 2014|access-date=July 11, 2014}}

Chief executive officer Christopher Cowdray asked the public to consider the issue at hand in a broader perspective, citing the fact that many brands are backed by foreign investors.{{cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/01/travel/can-a-hotel-boycott-change-a-sultans-policy.html?_r=0 |title= Can a Hotel Boycott Change a Sultan's Policy?|author= ELAINE GLUSAC|date= May 27, 2014|work= The New York Times|access-date=July 11, 2014}} The U.S. national advertising-industry newspaper Adweek declared that "the bad press and protests have tarnished the glamorous image of the Beverly Hills Hotel, one of the most famous hotels in the world" and added that "such extreme brand damage will be difficult to repair."{{cite web|url=http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/beverly-hills-hotel-boycott-gathers-steam-157513|title=Beverly Hills Hotel Boycott Gathers Steam|author=Christopher Heine|publisher=Adweek|date=May 6, 2014|access-date=July 11, 2014}} As of May 2014, "more than $2 million worth of events have been canceled at the Beverly Hills Hotel by dozens of groups."{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishjournal.com/cover_story/article/what_the_beverly_hills_hotel_boycott_says_about_where_we_draw_our_lines_in|title=What's a boycott worth?|publisher=Jewish Journal|date=May 21, 2014|author=Jared Sichel|access-date=July 11, 2014}} There have also been people speaking out in opposition of the protests and boycott of the hotel. Russell Crowe and Kim Kardashian have spoken out against the boycott, despite disapproval of the new laws in Brunei, citing how it is unfair to punish the hardworking employees and workers at the hotel.{{cite web| url= http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/27/russell-crowe-brunei-boycott_n_5397664.html?ir=World |title= Russell Crowe Defends Brunei-Owned Hotel Chain While Stressing Support For Gay Rights| author= Curtis M. Wong|date= May 27, 2014|work= Huffington Post|access-date=July 11, 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/24/kim-kardashian-beverly-hills-hotel-boycott-_n_5525291.html |title=Kim Kardashian Weighs In On Beverly Hills Hotel Boycott|work=Huffington Post|author=Cavan Sieczkowski|date=June 24, 2014|access-date=July 11, 2014}}

In March 2019 when the Sultan announced the coming into force of the sharia law in question on 3 April 2019 George Clooney,{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2019/03/george-clooney-sultain-of-brunei-hotels-boycott-beverly-hills-hotel-anti-gay-laws-brunei-1202584579/|title=George Clooney: Boycott Sultan Of Brunei's Hotels Over Cruel Anti-Gay Laws|last1=Clooney|first1=George|date=2019-03-28|website=Deadline|language=en|access-date=2019-04-03}} Elton John and Ellen DeGeneres called again for a boycott of all hotels associated with him.{{Cite web|url=https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-advice/accommodation/tv-personality-ellen-degeneres-calls-for-brunei-hotel-boycott/news-story/a735ffbefcf9ac9951cd7e8829a30997|title=Brunei anti-gay laws: Ellen posts desperate plea on Facebook|website=www.news.com.au|access-date=2019-04-03}} It resulted in the Sultan backtracking on enforcing the laws that would have made sex between men and adultery punishable by stoning to death{{Cite news|date=2019-05-06|title=Brunei says it won't enforce death penalty for gay sex|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48171165|access-date=2021-01-11}} in May 2019.

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{{UK Hotels}}

{{Government of Brunei}}

Category:Hotel and leisure companies based in London

Category:Hospitality companies of the United Kingdom

Category:Hotel chains

Category:Hotel chains in the United Kingdom