Guests at the secretive and exclusive male-only Presidents Club Charity Event have regularly and without impunity sexually harassed female hostesses at the dinner, an undercover report has revealed.
The black tie evening event at London's lavish Dorchester hotel has routinely raised millions of British pounds for worthy causes over its 33-year history—the equivalent of over $28 million since it began. However, behind the veneer of philanthropy, the charity event also provides patrons the chance to harass carefully selected female hostesses, the report alleged.
An undercover investigation by the Financial Times reported Tuesday that the women hired as hostesses for the event were groped by the guests, who included members of the British aristocracy, the political elite, film producers, property tycoons and chief executives. Hostesses reported that patrons slid their hands up their skirts, fondled them and propositioned them with sex, inviting them to the hotel's bedrooms.
The 130 women fetching drinks and attending to the event's 350 guests were drawn from different backgrounds. Some, university students, were looking to make extra money. Others were actresses, dancers or models working at events on the side. All were hired because they were "tall, thin and pretty," and paid the equivalent of $210 as well as $35 for a taxi for their time, according to the paper, which sent two journalists to work as hostesses at the event. They were told to wear skimpy black outfits, high heels and matching underwear.
Some of the women who worked at the event were deeply troubled by what they experienced. Prior to the night hostesses were told the men could be "annoying" by Caroline Dandridge, the founder of the agency responsible for hiring the staff. She told one of the hostesses that while some women "love" the work, for others it would be "the worst job of their life."
According to the FT report, one 19-year-old hostess said she had been asked directly by a nearly 70-year-old guest whether she was a prostitute, which she was not. She described the evening as "fucking scary" adding that she would never do it again.
Another hostess was seen being plied with alcohol—women at the event were encouraged to drink—and being told by one guest: "I want you to down that glass, rip off your knickers and dance on that table."
The hostesses were asked to sign a five-page non-disclosure agreement and in brochures handed out at the event the Presidents Club said it would "not tolerate any form of harassment towards event attendees or staff," defining it as behavior that causes someone to feel "offended, intimidated or humiliated." According to a second FT report there was also the waiver, saying the Presidents Club would "accept no responsibility and shall not be held liable for any actions of its members, staff or event attendees that amount to harassment."
The Presidents Club was founded in 1985 to appeal to the growing number of British millionaires who became established London's financial boom years at the time. The charitable trusts joint chairmen are property tycoons David Meller and Bruce Ritchie.
The party included a charity auction, with lots including a cosmetic surgery voucher, ostensibly intended for the purchaser's wife, a night at lap-dancing establishment The Windmill and a range of cars, including a supercharged Land Rover and a BMW i8 Roadster. Other auction items were lunch with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and the Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney.
The Dorchester has said it has a zero-tolerance policy regarding harassment of employees or guests. "We are unaware of any allegations and should we be contacted we will work with the relevant authorities as necessary," the hotel said in a statement.
Similarly the Presidents Club has said in a statement that it is appalled by the allegations.
"The Presidents Club recently hosted its annual dinner, raising several million pounds for disadvantaged children," it said. "The organizers are appalled by the allegations of bad behavior at the event asserted by the Financial Times reporters. Such behavior is totally unacceptable. The allegations will be investigated fully and promptly and appropriate action taken."
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Callum Paton is a staff writer at Newsweek specializing in North Africa and the Middle East. He has worked freelance ... Read more
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