The Dorchester Hotel opened on 18 April 1931. It was created by Sir Malcolm McAlpine and Sir Frances Towle. In 1929, they bought the old Dorchester House, a large 19th century building, and quickly had it demolished. Sir Owen Williams was commissioned to design the new hotel. In the new edifice, the use of reinforced concrete allowed the creation of large internal spaces without support pillars. The construction, which was carried out by Sir Robert McAlpine,[1] was completed in 1931.

In World War II, its modern construction gave the hotel a reputation of being a very safe building. Cabinet Ministers such as Lord Halifax and Duff Cooper stayed there during this time. General Dwight D. Eisenhower arrived in 1942 after staying at Claridge's and stayed on the first floor (now the Eisenhower Suite). Winston Churchill had a wall built to add privacy to his balcony and it still exists today. Diners at the Dorchester from cultural circles during this period included Cyril Connolly, T. S. Eliot, Harold Nicolson and Edith Sitwell.

In 1988, the hotel closed for two years for a major refit. The hotel was completely updated and the Promenade, Grill Room and the Oliver Messel Suite were meticulously restored, to reopen in 1990.

The Dorchester is managed and owned by the Dorchester Collection; a collection of seven luxury hotels in the United Kingdom, the United States, France, and Italy. It was organized in 1996 to manage the hotel interests of the Brunei Investment Agency.

High profile celebrities that have stayed at the Dorchester over the years have included[citation needed] : Britney Spears, Julie Andrews, Kim Basinger, Warren Beatty, Yul Brynner, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, Mariah Carey, Tom Cruise, Judy Garland, Johnny Depp, Dame Edna Everage, Russell Crowe, Charlton Heston, Nicole Kidman, Joan Collins, James Mason, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Peter Sellers and Kenneth Horne (who died in the hotel). Other famous entertainers who have been guests include: Michael Jackson, The Beatles, Cecil Beaton, Noel Coward, Joan Crawford, Marlene Dietrich, Duke Ellington, Prince (musician) Somerset Maugham, David McMillan and Lady GaGa.

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