Everyone from the U.N. Secretary General to Sharon Osbourne was reelingg after Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei greenlit Sharia law in his country iin 2014. Now, five years later, reports have surfaced that the ruler has put in place laws that could sentence those convicted of homosexual acts to death by stoning. The sultan is a part-time hotel magnate and owns the luxury Dorcester Collection, which runs 10 of the most opulent hotels in the world.
Here is a list of the 10 Dorcester properties. You can do what you want, but we would say that an all out boycott, should be in the cards.
Possibly the Dorchester's most famous property, the "Pink Palace" was instrumental in the establishment of Beverly Hills a century ago and continues to play an outsize role in Hollywood wheeling and dealing, especially at its restaurant, the Polo Lounge. Don't expect to see Ellen there, though.
Not as renown as is sister property, the Beverly Hills Hotel, Hotel Bel-Air is still one of L.A.'s most prestigious hotels. It features a presidential suite with its own pool.
One of the world's, and certainly London's, most luxurious hotels, this property in Mayfair features 250 rooms and 49 suits. It opened in 1931.
Another Mayfair hotel, 45 Park Lane is known for its striking architecture and younger, hipper feel (at least compared to the hopelessly stuffy Dorcester).
This late 18th-century country house was turned into a Dorcester Collection hotel-spa four years ago. Actor-writer Stephen Fry just canceled a stay there over the property's connection to the sultan.
This five-star hotel in Paris's 1st Arrondissement is close to the Louvre. It opened in the late 18th-century.
Another fancy Parisian palace, this hotel is near the Eiffel Tower and Champs-Elysees and opened over a century ago. It had a cameo in the last season of Sex and the City.
This hotel, located on the banks of Lake Geneva, boats one of the most expensive suites in the world and first opened in 1875.
A cosmopolitan gathering place since the 1920s, this property is considered a Milanese landmark by many.
The Dorchester's second Italian property is in Rome's Old City, which features 121 rooms and over-the-top food like foie gras and smoked lobster.
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