Luxury Travel Advisor - January 2008 - (Page 52) COVER STORY Dorchester he Dorchester Collection (www.dorchestercollection. com) is truly in growth mode, having recently evolved into a management company charged with growing the number of hotels in its portfolio, which already includes such iconic luxury properties as The Dorchester in London, The Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, Le Meurice and Hotel Plaza Athénée in Paris and Hotel Principe di Savoia in Milan. The creation of the management company follows months that were dedicated to establishing an infrastructure designed to support global growth. The first step was to bring the group of hotels under the singular Dorchester brand, so named after the legendary London By Design former Playboy Club at nearby 45 Park Lane, which it will open in two-and-a-half years as a contemporary, all-suite addition to The Dorchester. Christopher Cowdray was named CEO of the hotel company late last year; at the time of his appointment he was the general manager of The Dorchester and he retains that position as he takes on his new role. Luxury Travel Advisor caught up with Cowdray in London just days after he’d been named leader of the Dorchester Collection. Carrying his 23 years of international hotel experience with an air of elegance, sophistication and graceful control, Cowdray appeared to be quite comfortable with taking on the task of establishing additional luxury hotels in the company’s portfolio. He’s been T 52 property on Park Lane. The group of hotels then took on its own Global Distribution Systems (GDS) code—DC—and established a network of reservations centers around the world, foregoing its former reliance on its membership in The Leading Hotels of the World for such services. The next step is to grow the Dorchester Collection through the acquisition of existing hotels and third-party management agreements in the U.S. and Europe, which has already been happening quietly behind the scenes. Dorchester has already signed on to takeover the Virginia Water, a 60-room hotel set on 250 acres of countryside (polo grounds included) just outside of London. Plans are to open that hotel in two years. Within London, the company has purchased the BY RUTHANNE TERRERO LUXURY TRAVEL ADVISOR | January 2008 http://www.dorchestercollection.com http://www.dorchestercollection.com
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