Meet the Hotelier - 45 Park Lane
Lee Kelly, General Manager at 45 Park Lane, Dorchester Collection
What are the benefits of your location?
As our name suggests, we are located in the heart of Mayfair on Park Lane, right opposite Hyde Park and a stone’s throw away from the buzz of the city. Our location allows guests to experience all London has to offer, with just a short walk/drive. Whether that may be shopping on Bond Street, the shows on the West End or a little further the museums in South Kensington.
What is the most luxurious suite in the hotel?
Our most luxurious suite is The Penthouse Terrace Suite which covers the entirety of the top floor and has breath-taking panoramic 360° views of Hyde Park. With a separate living and dining room, this is a beautiful suite that feels like home. Art Deco in design, but contemporary in attitude, the room is polished with modern luxury. It is very popular among our guests, especially in the summer when guests can make the most of the wrap-around balcony.
What can you tell us about the history of the hotel?
45 Park Lane has lived various lives, including one particularly glamorous adventure as The Playboy Club. Nicknamed ‘the hutch on the park’ this was a fashionable 1960s hangout for London’s rich and famous. Originally designed as an office building by famed Bauhaus architect Walter Gropius, it remains a landmark of London, and today, a treasured gem of Dorchester Collection
Could you tell us about the best event the hotel has hosted during your time there?
This past June 2023 two of the world’s most legendary chefs came together to host a unique culinary experience. For one night only, internationally renowned celebrity chef, Wolfgang Puck cooked with Alain Ducasse at CUT at 45 Park Lane.
The pair teamed up to create a gastronomic fusion of excellence, with each chef presenting alternate dishes to complete a tasting menu. The evening took guests on a culinary journey with exceptional pairings made to highlight the dishes created by these leading chefs. Both chefs were accompanied by their award-winning teams, with Pucks headed by executive chef, Elliott Grover at 45 Park Lane and Ducasse’s, led by Jean-Phillippe Blondet, executive chef at Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester.
How would you describe the hotel’s dining experience?
At the hotel, we now have two restaurants.
The first is CUT by Wolfgang Puck which is a fine dining American steak restaurant. It has the most vibrant blend of a succulent menu, sleek design and fascinating artwork by Damien Hirst. Executive chef Elliott Grover offers a fresh take on the menu and celebrates locally sourced ingredients thanks to a close relationship with producers. We like to do new things at CUT, from four hands chef dinners to a new Beverly Hills Brunch, it really is non-stop there. Elliott also serves food in our art-deco BAR 45 as well as the lounge at the spa, both are slightly adapted to reflect the environment and preferences at each.
More recently, we launched Sushi Kanesaka on July 1, 2023; an intimate and traditional 13-seater Omakase counter restaurant opened at the hotel. Housed behind a discreet doorway off BAR 45, the restaurant brings the mastery of Edomae sushi in its most traditional, purest form – to London, setting a new benchmark for Omakase dining in the city.
Of all the facilities the hotel offers, which is your favourite and why?
We have a great state-of-the-art spa at 45 Park Lane with a swimming pool, sauna, steam room and hydro pool. The lounge area is the most relaxing place to just unwind and the whole area is definitely up there in terms of my favourites. However, my favourite place has to be BAR 45; it has such a comfortable feel, thanks to the Art Deco interiors, cosy armchairs and library feel. Our bar manager Enrico Perri and his team prepare some of the best cocktails in London many of them inspired by the hotel’s Art Deco heritage. We also have a rotating art programme, meaning we have new exhibitions totally transform the walls of the bar every 2-3 months our most recent exhibition featured Hormazd Narielwalla who created a body of work to commemorate HM King Charles III’s coronation. Up next, we have Jo Hummel who will be showcasing her collection ‘Somewhere here, but far away’ from July 6th to September 3rd. Her exhibition will showcase the Isle of Wight which is perfect for this time of year and will give guests a glimpse into British geography.
What makes a stay at your venue stand out from your competitors?
Our art and food offering makes us stand out the most. We have always prided ourselves in being firmly rooted in the arts at 45 Park Lane. The exhibitions that we have hosted since opening have featured a real variety of exceptional talent, from up-and-coming artists through to big names of the art world. We are so honoured to have hosted works from David Bailey’s and Sir Peter Blake which has really driven interest in the property. The hotel will see a more interactive experience playing out across our exhibition programme.
CUT at 45 Park Lane continues to be one of the most popular steak restaurants in London and we were recently voted 12th best steak restaurant in the world by World’s Best Steak Restaurant. Our executive chef, Elliott Grover, has also made it one of the first Wolfgang Puck restaurants to introduce a variety of fish dishes to the menu, now being rolled out across the company.
We also launched CUT Out in 2020, our outdoor terrace and extension of CUT. Situated directly adjacent to the restaurant on the corner of Park Lane and Curzon Street, is accessible through the hotel’s main entrance and is open daily for lunch and dinner from 12pm. The terrace offers an additional 22 seats with a Captain’s Table, inspired by the glamorous mid-century design of a Riva yacht, which can accommodate up to six guests. The space is overlooked by the trees of Hyde Park and a sleek, frameless glazed screen creates a shelter for this light-flooded dining area, which mirrors the architectural design of 45 Park Lane. It’s the perfect oasis in the heart of Mayfair and the ideal location to enjoy our newly launched Beverly Hills Brunch.
2023 has already been an exciting year for us and we look forward to enhancing our food and beverage offering even further.
– Our Experience –
We have visited many London hotels but have to say 45 Park Lane is one of the best. We entered the wonderful art deco designed reception area to check in and were shown to our suite overlooking Park Lane. The suite was very generous in size making this a perfect place to stay for a long period. In the suite, there was a lovely dining area where we enjoyed our breakfast in the morning, a lounge area to relax in, a separate bedroom and two bathrooms. We dined in CUT Restaurant the popular steak house on the ground floor and it did not disappoint. The steak was divine and so was the glass of red! In the morning we enjoyed the spa, which is located lower ground floor creating a perfect peaceful oasis, a great way to start our day before heading back to Cheshire.
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