Brawl sees licensing restrictions placed on W London hotel in Leicester Square
A brawl that involved more than 30 people and saw bottles and belts used as weapons has seen additional licencing restrictions placed on Marriott's W London hotel in Leicester Square.
Police officers responding at about 10:30pm on 10 July this year came under ‘sustained attack' and due to the severity of the violence were forced to retreat and wait for support.
Reports from police officers described glass bottles being thrown and a man with a belt wrapped around his fist punching others.
The number of hospitalisations following the fight was described by police as 'significant'. Five door supervisors and two police officers were among those injured.
Door supervisors told police they had seen clear evidence of drug taking at the event.
Marriott also reported that tills containing almost £2,000 were stolen from reception during the fracas.
In response to the incident the Metropolitan Police requested that Westminster Council review the premises licence. Documents submitted to the council's Licensing Committee showed that the event hosted at the hotel's Perception Bar had been organised by an external promoter.
Supporting evidence from police also stated that officers had been called to similar disturbance in April, when a patron had tried to hit another with an ice bucket. In response to the first disturbance licensing officers had drawn up an action plan with the hotel. The two parties disagreed as to whether the hotel had implemented the agreed actions.
In response to the police report Marriott said it treated the matter with the "utmost seriousness" and would not be hosting external promotional events at the hotel bar in the future.
It added: "Our reputation as a prestigious five-star hotel rests on providing a safe and secure environment for our guests. We will take all necessary steps to prevent a repetition of this sort of incident. We wish to record our thanks and admiration to the brave police officers who intervened to quell the disorder."
At a meeting last week, it was decided that the premises licence be amended to restrict access to residents and a set number of guests as well as members of the hotel group's loyalty programme and a limited number of invited patrons.
Following the meeting Marriott added: "We are pleased with the result of the hearing, which reflects the action we have already taken to tighten our bar policies. The safety of our guests is at the heart of everything we do, and we will not allow our guests or staff to be threatened or assaulted on a night out. Our team has worked closely with the police to resolve this unprecedented issue, and we continue to support them in holding to account those individuals who were involved."
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