The Dorchester hotel has secured a court order to sell a limited edition Fiat 500 belonging to Qatari royal Sheikh Nasser bin Abdullah al-Thani in its effort to recoup more than £450,000 in unpaid bills. The five-star Mayfair hotel sued the sheikh for outstanding payments covering rooms, additional charges, and accrued interest.
A court found in favor of The Dorchester’s claim, granting permission to sell the 2011 Fiat 500 Abarth Tributo Ferrari. The total debt amounts to £458,000, with the court awarding £198,180 for hotel charges and an additional £256,627 in interest, according to the Financial Times. A separate order was issued for the vehicle's sale.
District Judge Michael Javaherian presided over the case at the County Court at Central London. The sheikh, identified as a distant cousin of Qatar's ruler and a member of the ruling al-Thani family, has no official government or state role. The resale value of the Fiat 500 is estimated to be around £23,500, which is unlikely to cover the full debt.
Sheikh al-Thani's social media indicates a history of stays at luxury establishments, including photos of a Mirage GT and a Lamborghini Aventador posted from The Dorchester in 2015. The hotel charges for rooms at The Dorchester range from approximately £1,000 to over £8,000 per night. While some bookings have a 30-day limit, the sheikh appears to have stayed for several months.
His travels have also included stays at other high-end hotels like the Mandarin Oriental in Geneva, the Shangri-La in Paris, and the Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel & Spa in Kuwait.
Previously, Sheikh al-Thani served as the vice-president of Malaga FC. Earlier this year, an arrest warrant was issued in Europe for him, his brothers Nayef and Rakan, and their father Abdullah over allegations of misappropriating club funds. In 2020, a judge removed the four from their management positions, and the club faced a temporary ban from European competitions due to financial misconduct. Spanish prosecutors are seeking significant prison sentences and substantial damages related to the Malaga FC case.
Sheikh al-Thani reportedly did not attend the London hearing or send legal representation. Court documents listed his address as Al Wajiba Palace in Doha. His lawyers stated that he was only recently made aware of the proceedings and disputes the amount owed, intending to take steps to set aside the judgment. The al-Thani family has significant connections to London's luxury hotel sector, with Qatari investors involved in the Maybourne Hotel Group, which operates Claridge's, The Connaught, and The Berkeley. The Dorchester itself is owned by the Brunei Investment Agency.