How to make sure you remain relevant, modern and exciting when part of your very raison d’être is the charm that comes with being old? It’s a conundrum facing many of London’s more traditional five-star hotels. As a new wave of luxe openings – from Mayfair’s much-hyped Chancery Rosewood to the long-awaited Six Senses, set to open in Bayswater early next year – vie for a place within the capital’s pantheon of Grand Dames, the stalwarts that have long dominated the scene are having to work that little bit harder to impress.

So, how to divert eyes away from the shiny new suites down the road and keep guests new and old coming though your doors? Refurbish. Humans are, after all, creatures of habit – and why take a risk on a new establishment when your favourite hotel is ready, waiting and promising upgraded rooms to boot?

While others may only just be catching on – earlier this year The Ritz announced a two-year, £300-million refurbishment which will see 53 new rooms and a spa added to Mayfair’s, ahem, ritziest, address – it was undoubtedly The Dorchester that led the charge. In 2022, the hotel announced it would be embarking on a major overhaul which would leave no room or restaurant untouched. The multi-year project would be managed in stages, with restaurants, bars and guest areas the first to benefit from the expertise of interior designers Pierre-Yves Rochon and Martin Brudnizki Studio, with each and every one of its 238 rooms, suites and penthouses to follow.

In an incredible feat of logistics, project management and soundproofing, The Dorchester has remained open to guests throughout the refurbishment and, having visited for various parties, dinners and events over the past few years, I can confirm that you would never have known that half the hotel was little more than a building site. Well, from the inside at least; even The Dorchester team find it rather hard to hide eight-storeys of scaffolding.

Frankly, the timing couldn’t have been better. When we visit in early November, the latest round of Michelin Keys – the French tyre firm’s newly introduced star equivalents for hotels – have just been revealed. As if competition on Park Lane wasn’t tough enough, a new pretender to the crown – The Peninsula, practically on The Dorchester’s doorstep in Belgravia – has been honoured with the highest three-key ranking. The Dorch, meanwhile, has had to settle for still highly respectable two-key status (more as to why later). Suffice to say, new and noteworthy has never been more important.

But, before we get to the new and noteworthy, let’s take a moment to appreciate what remains. Namely: the service. I am very privileged that my job has taken me to some of the best hotels in the world and, perhaps it’s home team bias, but few do service quite like a great London five-star. I announce myself on check in and that’s it, from then on every waiter, porter, concierge and staff member knows my name. Our butler – yes, suites at The Dorchester come with a dedicated butler – even greets my dog by name the first time he meets us. (And has left gift-wrapped Lily’s Kitchen treats in our room for her, wise to the fact that this truly is the quickest way to any man’s, or dog’s, heart.) Whether in the bar, restaurant, room or spa, at no point during our stay are we left wanting or waiting. Given that The Dorchester can welcome more than 1,000 visitors in a single day, they make it look effortless.

But back to the matter at hand: what’s changed? If you’re booking a room at The Dorchester hoping to live out your grandest Bridgerton-inspired dreams, fear not, you’ll still find plenty of that here. The Promenade – home of afternoon tea and the impressive central hall from which the hotel’s three restaurants and two bars are accessed – is still every bit as majestic as its previous incarnation, now just fresher and dressed in opulent tones of gold, peach and floral print.

The Vesper Bar

The Grill at The Dorchester

Our expansive Mayfair Suite, too, exudes old-world glamour, thanks to Regency tones of deep blue accented with floral wallpaper, gilded mirrors, lacquered furniture and marble bathrooms flooded with natural light. Now, however, you’ll also find that mod-cons abound. In the bedroom, a vast Vispring bed promises the deepest of sleeps, while dual Bang & Olufsen televisions can be connected to your personal streaming accounts, and bathrooms are equipped with Dyson hair dryers and Wildsmith amenities.

Evenings at The Dorchester begin at the Vesper Bar. Reopened in December 2022 as a first glimpse at what the refurbishment may have in store, with its plush green velvet banquettes, gilded ceiling and Art Deco-inspired design, it’s more contemporary than the rest of the hotel, and offers a high-concept cocktail menu to match. Named Eterna and taking its cues from the Golden Ratio, guests are invited to choose from eight flavour profiles, each of which offers three distinct cocktails with the menu colour coding each by their length and strength.

I opt for the Venus Observed, an elegant and deeply savoury blend of coconut pisco, Seatrus gin and Italicus topped with a tomato and caper berry tuile. It’s complex, impressive and unlike anything I’ve had before. Yes, I’m sure the team would also knock you up a great negroni or old fashioned, but why be so basic when there are far more interesting things on offer?

From there it’s across the Promenade to the Dorchester Grill where, true to form, front of house know us on sight and a handwritten welcome card is waiting at our table. Menus, now under the command of long-time culinary director Martyn Nail and Jacob Keen-Downs, formerly of Gold in Notting Hill, following the departure of former head chef Tom Booton in September 2025, are classic, unpretentious and utterly delicious. A starter of crispy duck salad, all gamey meat, sweet sticky sauce and vibrant notes of peppery leaves and zesty persimmon, proves hard to follow – although we have nothing but compliments for a well cooked fillet steak and a daily special of truffle and mushroom pasta. Our inner children light up at the prospect of banana split for dessert but, eventually having to admit defeat, we practically roll upstairs and into the cocooning embrace of the aforementioned bed.

The next morning my husband and I part ways – he on a mission to tire out an excitable year-old puppy, me to the spa. I know, it’s a hard life. Very much a spa rather than a ‘wellness centre’, The Dorchester has made a conscious decision to prioritise high-spec treatment rooms over bountiful facilities. The gym is, admittedly, poky and guests must head across the road to neighbouring sister hotel 45 Park Lane if they wish to swim (which is where, I believe, that third Michelin Key may have been sacrificed) but as a friendly yet firm therapist smooths out my crunchy shoulders and kneads away the aches of a particularly intense Pilates class, I’m certainly not complaining.

After all, to check in to The Dorchester in search of a great gym would be to rather miss the point. Go for a run in nearby Hyde Park if you want – you’ll probably manage to do some sightseeing at the same time. With all of Mayfair, Knightsbridge and Belgravia on your doorstep, and fabulous food and entertainment under your roof, sweating it out in a subterranean gym is truly not the best use of your time.

Because, at its heart, The Dorchester really remains unchanged. It’s still all about the warm hospitality, nothing-is-too-much service and world-class amenities that made it an institution in the first place – all just wrapped in a package that’s a little prettier than before.

Rooms from £752 per night, visit dorchestercollection.com

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