The Dorchester hotel in London marks Christmas with a train through a chocolate village

From Saturday 14 November 2026, The Dorchester, the grand Park Lane hotel in London, will install a snow-covered railway station and a miniature chocolate village, with a train running through it, on The Promenade. Created by Andrew Blas, the hotel’s new executive pastry chef, the display will open a festive programme taking in afternoon tea, Thanksgiving, jazz and the Christmas and New Year’s Eve dinners. Here are the dates and prices announced by Dorchester Collection on 21 October.

☰Contents

1. A snowy railway station sculpted in chocolate
2. Christmas afternoon tea, from £130 to £205
3. Thanksgiving at £158 and jazz at The Grill
4. What will The Grill serve at Christmas?
5. Seven courses at Alain Ducasse in late December
6. A concert on 18 November, Vesper Bar on the 31st
7. Staying in Mayfair: from £1,400 a night

A snowy railway station sculpted in chocolate

The centrepiece of the season will stand on The Promenade, the long gallery where the hotel serves tea. Andrew Blas will depict a railway station under snow, surrounded by a miniature village of chocolate buildings with white-dusted roofs, with a train running through it. Phillip Hammond, the hotel’s floral designer, will create the arrangements around it. No photographs of the 2026 edition have been released yet: the image above shows the sugar display from a previous season.

In the lobby, the great Christmas tree will return, surrounded by floral arrangements. To compare with the other grand hotels, our festive calendar of the palace hotels lists the season’s Yule logs, tea times and Christmas and New Year’s Eve dinners.

Christmas afternoon tea, from £130 to £205

The theme carries on to the plate: the festive afternoon tea, served on The Promenade from 14 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, will include a miniature chocolate train. It will cost £130 per person on weekdays, with a glass of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label or alcohol-free Wild Idol, and £140 at weekends, when carols will be sung in aid of Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice. With a glass of Dom Pérignon 2018, the bill rises to £195, or £205 at weekends; a 15% service charge is added. For comparison, see our guide to afternoon tea at Claridge’s, a few streets away.

Thanksgiving at £158 and jazz at The Grill

On Thursday 26 November, The Grill at The Dorchester will serve a five-course Thanksgiving menu at £158 per person, including a welcome cocktail: Norfolk Bronze turkey, lobster macaroni, Isle of Mull scallops and pecan pie.

London jazz club Ronnie Scott’s will take over the same restaurant on two evenings, from 6.30pm to 10pm: singer Frances Madden on Wednesday 25 November, then Emma Smith on Tuesday 8 December. Chef Martyn Nail’s three-course dinner will be priced from £175 per person.

What will The Grill serve at Christmas?

From 14 November to 24 December, The Grill will offer three-course festive menus, with a £65 lunch from Monday to Saturday. On 24 December, dinner moves up to five courses. On the 25th, the Christmas menu brings together caviar and crème fraîche vol-au-vent, Norfolk Bronze turkey and Christmas pudding with custard: the press release describes it as five courses, but the sample menu published by the hotel lists four, at £415. A six-course dinner follows on 31 December, then lunch on 1 January.

Seven courses at Alain Ducasse in late December

At Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, holder of three Michelin stars, executive chef Jean-Philippe Blondet will create menus for 24 and 25 December and for New Year. A festive lunch will be served from 19 November, and a seven-course winter tasting menu on 26, 29 and 30 December.

A concert on 18 November, Vesper Bar on the 31st

On Wednesday 18 November, a Christmas concert on The Promenade will bring together the Cardinal Vaughan boys’ choir, a piano and a festive orchestra, with a three-course dinner and a complimentary drink. On 31 December, the Vesper Bar will lead the countdown to 2027 over Vesper Martinis, with live music.

Staying in Mayfair: from £1,400 a night

From 11 November 2026 to 9 January 2027, the Spirit of the Season package will include one night, a £150 credit to spend in the restaurants or the spa and a welcome gift; the hotel quotes it from £1,110 per room per night. On the official website on 27 October, a 34 m² Classic room with Mayfair views cost £1,400 for two adults on the night of 12 to 13 December, taxes included, and £1,440 with the festive package. In neighbouring Knightsbridge, The Lanesborough hotel serves a Christmas lunch at £530.