Our roots go back to 1931.
Some years later in 2011 we planted a legacy of 80 trees in London for our 80th Anniversary.
The listed plane tree has marked the entrance to The Dorchester since the hotel opened its doors in 1931, and was designated one of the Great Trees of London by the international charity Trees for Cities in 1997. For more than 80 years The Dorchester Plane Tree has born witness to countless illustrious moments in London’s history played out at the hotel.
Inspired by this landmark tree, the 80th Anniversary celebration saw 15 ‘Future Great Trees’ planted in Mayfair and St. James’s to form ‘The Dorchester Anniversary Walk’, and a further 65 trees planted across London.
On Monday 14 November 2011, the first tree, a ‘Liriodendron Tulipifera’ or ‘Tulip Tree’ was planted on Curzon Street by entrepreneur Jo Wood and general manager Roland Fasel. Roland Mouret, Lily Cole and Anya Hindmarch also lent their support to the project.
Four of the trees were planted with bronze plaques honouring the great chefs associated with Dorchester Collection’s two London hotels; The Dorchester and 45 Park Lane – namely Sir David Tang, Alain Ducasse, Henry Brosi and Wolfgang Puck
The Dorchester’s 80th Anniversary ‘Future Great Trees’ legacy was proposed by staff on the hotel's Corporate Responsibility team, winners of the Considerate Hoteliers Association ‘Green Team of the Year’ Award in 2010. Throughout the year, experts in urban tree planning ‘Trees for Cities’ worked in partnership with Westminster Council and other landowners to identify locations to plant the 80 trees.