Waldorf cancels its tea dances to focus on business

The elegant tradition of the Sunday afternoon tea dance at London's Le Méridien Waldorf hotel has come to an end.

Couples who used to enjoy whirling around the Palm Court's marble dance floor will have to make do with afternoon tea as the hotel tries to portray a more corporate image.

"It's a sensitive area," said general manager Amanda Scott, who spoke at the HCIMA conference last week. She admitted that there had been some concern from regulars when the dance was finally stopped in the summer.

Scott has been asked to increase the hotel's average room rate from £130 to £200 within two years.

"We decided it was not the way forward. It's a business hotel, and we see the future is with events," said Scott.

The weekly dances were reduced to a monthly event this year and finally stopped altogether in July.

Tea dances became popular in the 1920s but fizzled out after the Second World War. Forte reintroduced the tradition at the Waldorf in the 1980s.

Under the ownership of Le Méridien, the Waldorf is to undergo an £18m refurbishment, which will see the Edwardian hotel's bedrooms converted to a contemporary style.

Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 26 September - 2 October 2002