A top London hotel has been allowed to keep its licence after Met Police officers were allegedly attacked with bottles in a huge brawl. Police and security workers were hurt in the huge fight at W Hotel, Leicester Square on July 10. The luxury, five-star hotel on Wardour Street, Soho, was hosting an event at the time of the brawl. It is alleged that some guests took drugs in the bathroom and that “many” people turned up wearing ankle tags.
The Met Police claimed six people were hospitalised, including an officer, and added that an enquiry into the incident was ongoing. A manager of the hotel said the incident “must not happen again” and the company is dealing with it “with the utmost seriousness”. The Met Police called for a review of the hotel licence after the incident on July 10. Westminster City Council’s licensing team had said it supported the police and was worried about crime and disorder at W Hotel, according to a letter by a senior officer.
If the hotel had lost its licence, it would have been barred from selling alcohol and late-night refreshments. as well as from hosting live or recorded music. A representative for the hotel described how police officers at the scene retreated into a lift with guests to get away and call for backup. He said: “They retreat into a lift… and bottles and glasses continue to be thrown at them.”
He later added that suspects are still being identified from video footage. He said: “It’s a difficult job because we don’t know the identity of the people that came to the premises. There was a guest list but the guest list was incomplete.” The multi-property general manager of W Hotel said in a statement: “Marriott Hotels International take this matter with the utmost seriousness and with the matter being most regrettable that it occurred in one of our hotels. Putting the welfare of our employees and guests at risk that has led to the W Hotel facing a review application by police.
“This is an exceptionally rare event for our international hotel group. We will continue working closely and in partnership with the police whatever the outcome of this review. Our commercial interests and the promotion of the licensing objectives are consistent with each other: a repetition of the July incident must not happen again. Our reputation depends on it.”
A spokesperson for the Met Police previously told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “At approximately 22:30hrs on Sunday July 10, officers were called to a hotel in Wardour Street, Westminster, to reports of a fight. Officers attended and found a large group of people fighting. Police engaged with the crowd and stopped the fight. In the process an officer had their arm cut, while another had a bottle thrown at them. One officer had to go to hospital. Five members of security staff also received injuries and had to attend hospital. Three men were arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and violent disorder. All three have been released under investigation. Enquiries continue.”
Westminster City Council reviewed the hotel’s licence on Thursday, August 11. Officials decided to add new conditions to the licence, which included installing CCTV in the hotel lifts, banning events by external companies and making sure security staff wear high-vis at certain times.
