Is This London’s Most Luxurious Festive Sleepover?

Image Name: The Dorchester’s Luxury

The Dorchester is something of a London institution, known as much for its famous regulars as its unapologetic grandeur. It was a favorite stay of Elizabeth Taylor, with its Harlequin Penthouse suite now renamed eponymously in her honor. More recently, Kate Moss, Alexa Chung, and their It girl contingent were known to hop between its restaurants and bars on nights out in the Noughties. Nowadays, it attracts a steady flow of mostly international visitors for its spoiling service, palatial suites, and exacting standards. And this is what it promises to deliver with bells on for Christmas.

A Grand Makeover for the Festive Season
Earlier this year, The Dorchester unveiled a major makeover with an overhaul of its rooms and a more contemporary scheme, making this winter its first festive season with the new look. The decorations went up on November 16 (staff work overnight like elves so that guests can wake up to the festivities), marking the start of its ‘Magic of Christmas’ themed events and offerings. These include celebrity caroling events, handmade festive afternoon tea, and a gourmet five-course Christmas menu.

An overnight stay during the festive period costs over £1,000, part of a new series of ultra-luxe hotel openings in London. So just how much does a 24-hour stay deliver on the festive feels and glitz for the price tag? Here’s a closer look.

Prime Location: The Heart of Festivities
The Dorchester’s location gives it a serious advantage during the festive period. Positioned on Park Lane, opposite Hyde Park and adjacent to St James Park, you have Winter Wonderland in full swing in Hyde Park, with the lights of its Ferris wheel and rides twinkling in the distance from front-facing rooms. If you’re feeling brave enough to join the jostling throngs, Oxford Street is just a 10-minute walk away, perfect for seeing more light displays and shopping for gifts.

Marble Arch is on the corner of the same end of Oxford Street for the Tube, though many of the hotel’s well-heeled guests arrive by a private car booked through the team. For an A-list arrival, you can opt for the Dorchester Bentley, or one of the doormen can help you hail a taxi at the hotel’s rank.

A Festive Wonderland Inside
Back to the polished confines of the hotel, the frontage has been updated with fairy-lit firs below its shiny silver signage to welcome you. As you enter the grand lobby on any given weekend leading up to December 25, you’ll feel as if it is screaming “It’s Christmas!” at you.

A huge tree sparkles with oversized pastel baubles, and its star scales as high as the humongous chandelier hanging from the high ceiling. There is a hot chocolate station waiting for you to grab a cup to warm your cockles by the reception desk. And on weekends, your ears will be filled with the sounds of carol singers belting out Mariah Carey in the Promenade’s 24-hour dining room, or perhaps a brass band or pianist pumping out Yuletide classics. This past weekend there was a concert headed up by Alexandra Burke.

If that’s not festive overload enough, the huge gilded table in the center of The Promenade, the 24-hour dining room behind the lobby, is covered in an installation of a miniature forest lined with chocolate tree sculptures. And this is before you’ve even spotted the numerous other trees standing in line with The Promenade’s pillars or set foot in your room.

Luxurious Rooms with a Festive Touch
The new-look 241 rooms come in 19 categories. Though ‘new’ here does not in any sense mean modern or minimalist, this stalwart of the London hotel scene stays very much true to its former Art Deco 1930s aesthetic: furniture is all ornate dark wood, hand-painted and gilded; there are molded walls to frame curated floral artwork; and all is palatial in its size and aesthetic (room 117 has a shower large enough for a group of five to stew in). However, there are contemporary finishes: Bang & Olufsen TVs and sound bars to pump your festive playlist, underfloor heating in the shiny marble bathrooms, and master light switches to set the mood.

Each room is decked out with a real Christmas tree—a “mini” of the lobby’s fir. Any spare surface—dining tables, end tables, fireplaces—will be dressed in ornate matching garlands. Your bedroom will remain a festive-free sanctuary, with decor inspired by gardens to give them a lighter feel than the rest of the hotel’s spaces.

Image Name: A Festive Wonderland

Festive Feasts and Fine Dining
A Christmas dinner can be taken in your room, and seeing as you may need to be rolled to bed afterward, it’s probably wise. The hotel’s butler service will pre-prep the scene (low lighting, Smooth FM, and your table settings) while you sip a cocktail or two at Vespar bar. Try the Mexican-inspired Rosita Vendela with Coffee Flor de Caña rum to liven yourself up if you’ve ventured out among the madding crowds.

Then enjoy a five-course feast of your choice from the festive offering served by the doting butler team. There’s blinis and caviar, truffle-topped soup, a mouth-watering beef wellington main with a madeira jus, and perfect roasties and just-tart-enough cabbage for sides. Culinary director Martyn Nail has surpassed himself. It’s all very Home Alone, but make it five-star: Champagne over soda, and luxury Christmas pudding over Kevin’s silver platter of ice cream.

There’s also the option of a festive afternoon tea, made by the in-house bakers and chocolatiers. Given how much the interiors of The Promenade evoke Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette, it really would be rude not to let yourself eat cake.

Breakfast is included—take it in bed or in The Promenade. If you’re still hungry for lunch, The Grill from two-AA rosette Tom Booton is a crowd-pleaser for its succulent, perfectly-seasoned meat and fish mains and indulgent sides. The steak tartar with lingering umami flavor is a must.

Spa Bliss
The lower ground floor spa is subterranean bliss. Treatments include bespoke ishga massages as well as facials from Valmont and Carol Joy London which will revive shopping-addled shoulders or stressed visages. There’s also a nail bar by Mii, encased in a perspex wall of nail varnishes in every shade imaginable, and a Spatisserie where you can sip more Champagne. If you wake up needing to work up an appetite, you can use sister hotel 45 Park Lane’s souped-up gym and peaceful pool.

The Verdict
There’s no doubt the hotel’s regulars and well-heeled international visitors will be charmed by the usual immaculate service, elevated by Christmas sparkle. For solos or couples with families out of town this year, it’s also well worth considering for a one-off blow-the-budget adult Home Alone experience with sensational food. Or you could just tell your clan you’re out of the country while secretly hauling up in a suite.

The Details
An overnight stay at The Dorchester starts from £1,010, including £150 hotel credit to use during your stay in the restaurants or spa, plus a seasonally inspired welcome gift on arrival. A set Christmas menu from Tom Booton’s The Grill starts at £65. The Christmas Carols Afternoon Tea, featuring a vocal choir at 1pm, is available every weekend from 12-4.30pm from November 16 to December 22 at £135 per adult including a glass of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Brut Champagne NV, and £70 per child.

Conclusion
For a luxurious festive getaway that delivers on glamour and holiday cheer, The Dorchester stands out as a top choice. Whether you’re soaking in the festive decorations, indulging in gourmet meals, or relaxing in the spa, your stay will be nothing short of magical. Experience the ultimate Christmas escape in the heart of London at The Dorchester, and create unforgettable holiday memories.