Sir Francis Towle, managing director of Gordon Hotels, commissioned The Dorchester after Dorchester House was demolished in 1929. Owen Williams was hired first but abandoned the project in February 1930, and William Curtis Green replaced him. Sir Robert McAlpine was the main contractor.
The upper eight floors were erected in ten weeks, on a reinforced concrete deck 3 feet (0.9 meters) thick. The article says the design departed from Neoclassical style, using reinforced concrete covered in terrazzo slabs, with soundproofing that included cork-faced walls. The hotel opened on April 18, 1931.
During the Second World War it was reputed to be one of London's safest buildings, and Dwight D. Eisenhower used it as a headquarters in 1944. It was renovated from 1988 to 1990 and has been a Grade II listed building since January 1981.
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