Dorchester Collection is an operator of luxury hotels owned by the Brunei Investment Agency, a branch of Brunei's Ministry of Finance. They reconstructed the hotel with the brothers Ignazio and Maggio Cipriani of the Cipriani family, renowned for their restaurants, event spaces, and hotels around the world. Hoping to spark a land rush, developer Burton Green, president of Rodeo Land and Water Company, purchased land that was once owned by the Mexican government in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains. The Polo Lounge has long been known as the epicenter of power foods in Los Angeles and a favorite spot for legendary Hollywood stars and negotiators.The sighting has raised eyebrows since the tycoon boycotted the hotel because of its owner, the Sultan of Brunei's anti-gay policy, for seven years.
With the death of Ben Silberstein in 1979, the property passed into the hands of his two daughters, Muriel Slatkin and Seema Boesky, wife of Ivan Boesky, the Wall Street referee. Anderson built an extensive Mission Revival-style hotel on 12 acres, with a white stucco exterior and terracotta tiles, and named it after Beverly Farms, his home in Massachusetts. Initially, five bungalows were added to the gardens in 1915 to accommodate families who could return each year with their own staff.Irene Dunne, Loretta Young and Harry Warner also became owners of the hotel as a result of their investment in Courtright. Owner Ben Silberstein died in 1979 and passed the hotel to his two daughters, Muriel Slatkin and Seema Boesky, wife of stockbroker Ivan Boesky.
Elizabeth Taylor, one of the hotel's most famous guests, stayed with her many husbands in the bungalows and spent six of her eight honeymoons there. That event, which will take place on May 2 and will honor Jane and Marc Nathanson with the Humanitarian Award, features a program that also includes host Kevin Nealon, entertainment by Wilson Phillips and a special presentation by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.But the much-touted boycott calling for the hotel to be detached from its owner was finally extinguished with a whimper; nothing changed, and celebrities returned to their favorite luxury spot. Then in 1920 Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks built their county house, Pickfair, in nearby hills. The acquisition comes as the hotel industry attempts to recover from shutdowns and economic recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The application of these laws known as sharia laws which if violated require punishments ranging from amputation to death by stoning for crimes such as robbery, adultery and homosexuality prompted a call for a boycott from stars George Clooney, Ellen DeGeneres, Elton John, Sharon Stone, Ellen Pompeo and others who have urged people to stop visiting Dorchester Collection hotels.The building was first painted its famous pink color in 1948 to match the country club style of that time and became known as Palacio Rosa.
