The Dorchester, a London icon, has embarked on a significant journey of re-imagining its ground floor experience. This transformation, a blend of classic elegance and modern sensibilities, has breathed new life into the hotel’s five distinct outlets, each showcasing a unique facet of The Dorchester’s rich brand identity. Construct, the design firm responsible for this ambitious project, shares insights into their approach to crafting an unparalleled luxury dining experience.
Redefining Luxury Hospitality
The Dorchester’s ground floor revitalization goes beyond a simple makeover; it’s a bold statement about the future of luxury hospitality. Construct’s founder, Georgia Fendley, highlights the strategic shift: “It’s unusual for an existing hotel to do the whole shebang,” she notes, emphasizing the comprehensive reimagining of the dining experience. The Dorchester’s new outlets, including The Grill by Tom Booton, alongside existing acclaimed restaurants like Alain Ducasse and China Tang, demonstrate their commitment to exceeding guest expectations. “It shows how they are looking at the experience beyond the bedroom and the hotel itself,” she adds, emphasizing the focus on creating a holistic, multi-dimensional experience.
This multi-faceted approach resonates with a new generation of luxury travelers seeking diverse culinary experiences. Fendley emphasizes the importance of understanding today’s guests, “Guests, when they stay three to seven nights, want multiple dining experiences. Diversity has never been more important,” she observes. The Dorchester’s newly envisioned outlets stand as testaments to this changing landscape, defining a new era of luxury food and beverage hospitality.
The Dorchester’s Ground Floor Village
The Dorchester’s ground floor is no longer just a space; it’s a vibrant village where locals and guests alike can mingle and enjoy a range of culinary delights. The Promenade, a grand architectural space, offers a captivating “see and be seen” setting, ideal for leisurely strolls and social interactions. Rosy Tsai, Design Director at Construct, describes this space as having distinct “mood zones,” allowing guests to navigate a diverse range of experiences, from the elegant afternoon tea to the lively Vesper Bar and the vibrant The Grill by Tom Booton.
Each venue is enveloped in a carefully crafted brand experience that reflects a modern perspective on luxury dining. The Cake & Flowers boutique, welcoming visitors even before they step inside the hotel, offers a tantalizing preview of the culinary delights awaiting them. This charming space, featuring The Dorchester’s signature rose as a recurring motif, showcases delicate treats by Michael Kwan and exquisite floral arrangements by Philip Hammond.
The Cake & Flowers logo itself embodies this harmonious fusion. “When we drew the Cake & Flowers logo we wanted to make that subtle connection between how the flower blooms or how the cream on a cake moves in swirls, so we wanted to showcase that harmony,” explains Tsai. The logo’s twisting, intertwined design, coupled with a bold yet natural color palette derived from sage, tulips, and lemons, reinforces the connection between nature and the art of pastry.
Construct’s meticulous attention to detail extends to the packaging, ensuring it complements rather than overshadows the exquisite treats within. The ingenious cake box, resembling a blooming flower, is a testament to this commitment. It’s a playful and functional design that not only protects the delicate contents but also adds to the overall aesthetic appeal. No wonder the enchanting Cake & Flowers has become an Instagram sensation, drawing long queues from the moment it opened its doors.
The Promenade: A Journey Through Time
The Promenade, a long and inviting space, is mirrored in its rectangular logo, capturing the sense of movement and the act of promenading through its captivating setting. This all-day destination, where breakfast cocktails seamlessly transition into evening drinks, offers a dynamic experience, reflecting the ebb and flow of time. The menu inserts, changing throughout the day, echo this evolution with their subtle color transitions: pale blue for the hazy morning, yellow for the bright midday sun, and dusky lilac for the evening twilight.
The menu itself is a tactile, layered experience, featuring two bespoke dye leathers and a meticulously crafted blind embossed font, adding a touch of sophistication to both the menu and bill folder. The Dorchester logo, intentionally muted in this space, allows The Promenade to stand on its own, a distinct destination that transcends its association with the hotel.
This philosophy extends to the diverse clientele that grace The Promenade’s elegant setting. Tsai emphasizes the success of attracting a mix of guests and locals, representing a vibrant cross-section of ages and nationalities.
The Artists’ Bar: A Celebration of Creativity
Nestled at the end of The Promenade, The Artists’ Bar pays homage to the enduring connection between art and luxury, echoing the hotel’s rich history of welcoming renowned artists, from Marlene Dietrich to David Bowie and Harry Styles. The bar’s ambiance invites guests to become part of this exclusive world, a sentiment reinforced by the book-like menu, which playfully reminds them, “It’s for an artist like you.”
The bar’s distinctive tilted rectangular motif, inspired by art breaking free from traditional constraints, symbolizes a dynamic progression toward modernity, reminiscent of British artists like Damien Hirst and Bridget Riley. A Renaissance typeface, with its mathematical rhythm, adds a contrasting element to the logo, while the harmonious black, white, ivory, and gold color palette echoes the classic bottle of champagne, creating a sense of refined elegance.
The cleverly designed coasters, each embossed with a letter, invite guests to engage in a Scrabble-like game of word creation, adding a playful element to the experience.
The Vesper Bar: Cocktail Conversations Under the Stars
The Vesper Bar, adorned with a silver leather menu, invites guests to unwind and engage in meaningful conversations over handcrafted cocktails. The choice of silver evokes an evening star, a pre-party shimmer, and the tools of a cocktail-making set, all infused with a vibrant lemon zest highlight, inspired by the signature Vesper Martini, named after James Bond author and frequent hotel guest Ian Fleming. The hotel’s commitment to detail extends to the lemon-yellow till roll, which emerges from the silver bill folder like a cocktail garnish, demonstrating the meticulous attention given to every aspect of the experience.
The Grill by Tom Booton: A Modern Take on Tradition
The Grill, a beloved 92-year-old destination, has undergone a refresh, retaining its classic English brasserie identity while embracing a modern twist. Construct Senior Designer Cameron Armstrong and Designer Charlotte Cross describe the revitalized space as a haven for relaxed enjoyment. Essex-born chef Tom Booton has injected a vibrant energy into the dining experience, incorporating elements like beer on tap, a soft serve machine, and an open kitchen, creating a more casual, inviting ambiance.
“It’s a subtle change in the room, but a big change in atmosphere,” says Armstrong. “It’s more casual, more at home, where you’re free to be more yourself.” This shift aligns with Newell’s vision for a modern luxury hotel. “Our heritage tells us we are an established and sophisticated hotel, but in today’s world we want to be vibrant, curious and captivating for our guests.”
Booton’s close ties with local suppliers have inspired the new branding, drawing inspiration from the hotel’s 1930s roots and the era of daily shopping for fresh ingredients in London’s local “villages.” A resurrected 1930s typeface lends the branding a utilitarian aesthetic, reflecting this connection to a bygone era.
“We created a brand narrative for Booton, which appears on the back of the menu, playing on the idea of the guest having a conversation with the chef,” explain Armstrong and Cross. “It’s slightly indented so you feel it first and then turn the menu over to see what it says.” A segment of this narrative is featured on a series of coasters, including a jumbo version for pint glasses and tankards, inviting guests to engage in conversation and discover the chef’s culinary philosophy.
A welcome card designed for personal notes from the chef, complete with a sell-by-date sticker, adds a personal touch, emphasizing the human element behind the design. It encapsulates Construct’s strategic approach to elevating the luxury hospitality experience through thoughtful design.
The Dorchester’s ground floor transformation is more than a physical renovation; it’s a testament to their commitment to evolving with the times, providing guests with a dynamic and unforgettable experience that blends classic elegance with modern innovation.
