Deutsche Bank has removed the Dorchester Collection hotel group from its list of preferred suppliers amid a boycott of the group. The Dorchester is owned by Brunei Investment Agency, which is controlled by Brunei's long-ruling sultan. Brunei this week adopted a harsh sharia penal code that includes death by stoning for same-sex sexual activity and adultery. In response, celebrities like George Clooney, Ellen DeGeneres, Billie Jean King and Elton John have called for a boycott of the hotel group, which consists of nine properties in the U.K., France, Italy and U.S.
Deutsche Bank said its decision is in support of LGBTIQ rights. This year, the bank co-founded a consortium to promote LGBTIQ inclusion in business. "The new laws introduced by Brunei breach the most basic human rights, and we believe it is our duty as a firm to take action against them," according to Deutsche Bank chief risk officer Stuart Lewis.
CNN reported that the Financial Times has canceled an event at The Dorchester in London and will not stay at the group's hotels, and U.K. magazine TV Choice has canceled an awards event at the property.
The Dorchester Collection, meanwhile, has pulled its hotels' social media sites in response to "personal abuse directed at our employees." It has kept its corporate social media pages running, and the group published a statement on its website that its "values are far removed from the politics of ownership." The statement continued: "We do not tolerate any form of discrimination; we never have, and we never will. We understand people's anger and frustration, but this is a political and religious issue that we don’t believe should be played out in our hotels and amongst our 3,630 employees."