Luca Virgilio, the general manager of The Dorchester in London, has an interesting theory as to why Italians make such good GMs. It’s a byproduct of geography and history, he suggests. Italy is known the world over for its cuisine and architecture. It’s also been conquered many times: from the Ostrogoths and Lombards, to the Normans and Napoleon, Italy has a past of occupation. Naturally, Virgilio playfully submits, Italy had to be a good host to survive. “There was always somebody living in our country. It’s Darwin’s law: We had to be good at welcoming whoever was coming to conquer us. We had to be; otherwise, they would kill us.”
Fortunately for Virgilio, his ancestors adhered to this rationale; had they not, he may not today be recognized as one of the best hotel general managers going and garnering distinction as HOTELS Magazine’s 2025 GM Hotelier of the World.
His latest work is some of his finest, leading the storied Dorchester through a multimillion-dollar renovation that began in 2022. There are few equals to The Dorchester, the luxury Park Lane hotel overlooking Hyde Park that opened in 1931. The actress Elizabeth Taylor was a frequent guest of the hotel, such a constant that, as the story goes, the hotel acquiesced to a request by her to install pink marble in the bathroom of her suite. It still exists in The Harlequin Penthouse. Other past luminaries include Marlene Dietrich and Alfred Hitchcock. Writer Ian Fleming was so ubiquitous at the hotel that the new Vesper Bar pays homage to the James Bond creator. In fact, when Roger Moore took over the mantle as the new 007 in 1972, the announcement was made at The Dorchester. Also, “so many Bond girls have stayed with us,” Virgilio said.
USHERING IN A NEW ERA
Somehow, the hotel is even better today. And it’s in large part due to the steady leadership of Virgilio. He’s had practice. Prior to joining The Dorchester, Virgilio was GM of another famed hotel, Hotel Eden, in Rome. (Both The Dorchester and Hotel Eden are part of Dorchester Collection, a group of nine luxury hotels in the U.S., Italy, France and the U.K. Future properties are slated for Dubai and Japan.) At Hotel Eden, where Virgilio was GM for eight years, he helped lead an extensive 18-month renovation and restoration of the property. This time, at The Dorchester, it is different and on a grander scale. Now 240 rooms (taken down by 10 to allow for more commodious accommodations) and lavish public spaces, “the mothership,” as Virgilio calls it, is being renovated in phases such that the hotel can remain open to guests.
Design was led by the renowned French interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon and though he has a famous name, humility is what secured him the job. “He was humble enough to put himself below the hotel,” Virgilio said. “Many others saw this as an opportunity to showcase themselves and put their stamp on it.”
The renovation began in earnest on the ground floor and worked its way up. This included the famous Promenade and the introduction of new areas, such as the Artists’ Bar, where guests are entertained each evening by a pianist tickling the ivories on a piano once owned by Liberace. At one point, the hotel only operated 60 rooms as floors were taken out of commission. “I was running a boutique hotel,” Virgilio quipped.
A renovation of this magnitude has its challenges, exacerbated by the fact that at any time there could be as many as 400 workers on site—work boots amid Manolo Blahniks. The hotel’s iconic entrance had to be moved to a side street, through an emergency entrance, that the hotel had dolled up to try and make it as inviting as the original. Transparency around the renovation was key, Virgilio said—there was no sense trying to hide it. Most guests, meanwhile, were not perturbed; rather, they were happy to be part of the journey. “Many of our regular guests kept on coming—and they never even asked for a discount,” Virgilio shared. In fact, the renovation journey helped to create even more attachment between the hotel and its loyal patrons. “We made our guests part of every phase and every unveiling,” Virgilio said, stirring excitement by giving guests short tours to see the work in progress.
Keeping guests happy was one thing; keeping staff motivated was another. Shutting down certain areas of the hotel affected service, workflow, logistics—all structures within each operating department were impacted. “Keeping everyone together, on the same page, was a big area of focus for me,” Virgilio said. “The goal was to preserve the soul of the hotel while allowing for a graceful evolution. It was time.”
HIS JOURNEY
Virgilio’s development as one of the preeminent GMs in the hotel industry has been an odyssey that surprisingly started at a later stage in life. While many who excel in a particular role start their journeys at a young age, almost drawn to it innately, Virgilio’s love for hospitality blossomed well after his teenage years and following a compulsory stint in the Italian military. A friend of Virgilio’s mother happened to read a magazine article about hotel schools in Switzerland and teased the idea to him. “I didn’t even need to read the article. It just clicked,” he said.
He matriculated at the famed Les Roches and while he couldn’t foretell where his hospitality career was headed, he always knew that he wanted to work in a luxury environment for both the variety and challenges it presents. “It’s hard work, but if you have that love and passion, it doesn’t feel like working at all,” he said.
Becoming a great general manager takes practice and patience, but there is one requisite trait: affability. GMs don’t succeed by holing up in an office; they win over guests and staff by being on the front lines, out and about walking the floor and being outgoing. “I enjoy engaging with people,” Virgilio said. “It’s within me—part of my personality.”
Virgilio calls his management style “collaborative,” but being collaborative means putting the right people in place and setting them up for success. This is made all the more necessary for one particular reason: The Dorchester employs some 600 people. “You can’t create that cohesiveness unless you understand how each individual functions with the group,” he said.
Virgilio is also modest. He strives to make himself useless, which is to say that his hotel can run smoothly even without him there. And that’s a good thing. “It means you’re a good leader because things go well even when you’re not around,” he said. “That takes courage because some people like that when they’re not around, and everything falls apart, they can say, ‘Oh, I guess I’m needed.’”
The Dorchester is a star, but London is the universe. Perhaps no city in the world has the complement of luxury hotels like London does. It only follows that the best general managers in the world work there. It holds special meaning for Virgilio, who has spent different eras of his life in the British capital. He calls it the center of the world. “London is a city that invites you to come back over and over again,” he said. “As hoteliers, we are blessed.”
