The Bangladesh High Commission in London incurred an expenditure of nearly Taka (BDT) 3.5 crore – £210,325 – during the four-day visit to the United Kingdom, with the Chief Adviser’s total room tariff at The Dorchester Hotel totalling £24,180 (£6,045 per day), documents accessed by Northeast News reveal. The Bangladesh equivalent of this amount is Taka (BDT) 40,00,339.20.
At prevailing currency exchange rate values, the Bangladesh High Commission ended up paying a staggering BDT 3,47,96,168 (at BDT 165.44 for £ 1) for the four days.
Provisional estimates by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics suggest that the country’s per capita income for the financial year 2024-25 was $2,820. In 2024, Transparency International ranked Bangladesh 151 out of 180 countries on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).
The name of the room at the hotel in which Yunus stayed during his four-day visit to the UK is called the Dorchester Prestige Suite. A second person on Yunus’ entourage – presumably his daughter Deena Afroz Yunus – stayed in the next costly room, called the Dorchester Suite whose tariff charge for four days was £20,000 or BDT 33,08,800.
The total “bedroom spend” at The Dorchester, with different categories occupied by different persons on the delegation, was a staggering £198,135 or BDT 3,27,79,454.40. As many as 37 plush rooms were booked and paid for at The Dorchester.
The cheapest tariff for four Superior King Rooms – at £825 per room – for four days was £19,800, the documents show.
On June 12, the Bangladesh delegation booked the Park Suite for an “event”. The cost for this suite was £2,000 or BDT 330,880.
It is estimated that the Bangladesh High Commission incurred a total expenditure of BDT 6 crore for the visit of the Yunus-led delegation. This amount includes charges at The Dorchester, besides air travel for the entire entourage, food and drinks, including beverages.
In fact, for the four days the Bangladesh team ate dinner that cost £6,500 or BDT 10,75,360.
The Dorchester Hotel management claims that it is “steeped in history, glamour and stories”. The hotel’s website proclaims “delightfully private suites, featuring picturesque gardens, grand pianos, private swimming pools and roof terraces with panoramic views. Not forgetting, of course, our divinely comfortable beds”.
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The Dorchester Collection of hotels are spread across the world with properties in Ascot, Paris, Milan, Dubai and Los Angeles with plans for a new one in Tokyo.
While describing its rooms, the hotel says, “In these generous rooms, the joyful personality and stylish details blossom in perfect harmony. Surrounded by the very best of London, we invite you to relax and enjoy our promise of pure comfort.”
