London: Where to Stay: Luxury: The Dorchester

The Dorchester

A magnificent hotel with a great location, between Marble Arch and Hyde Park Corner, the Dorchester lays its luxury on thick, which may be one reason it has long been the first choice in London for many Middle Eastern royals and for celebrities, such as Tom Cruise and Karl Lagerfeld. Opened in 1931 and completely refurbished in the late 1980s, the 249-room hotel welcomes guests at a porte-cochere facing Hyde Park that has been featured in several Hollywood films, most recently Woody Allen’s Match Point. The actor-director may have chosen it as a backdrop because the Dorchester is where he likes to stay in London—and that may be because it reminds him a bit of New York’s Carlyle Hotel, where he often plays jazz when he’s in his hometown. All the rooms overlook Hyde Park (you can often see people on horseback in the early morning). The simpler rooms are decorated in a supremely comfortable English style with floral chintzes; the suites have more elaborate Art Deco– and Regency-style furniture and fabrics. Two years ago, David Tang added some glamour to the property when he unveiled China Tang, a stylish restaurant inspired by Shanghai in the 1930s. Double rooms from $920.

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