Academy Award-winning actor George Clooney has urged a boycott of nine luxury hotels in the United States and Europe that are connected to the Sultan of Brunei. This call to action comes in response to a new law set to be implemented in Brunei next week, which will make gay sex and adultery punishable by death.
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, who governs the wealthy oil nation with full executive authority, owns these hotels through the Brunei Investment Agency. In a piece for Deadline Hollywood published on Thursday, Clooney questioned, “Are we really going to help fund the murder of innocent citizens? Below I’ve listed the nine hotels. It’s up to each of us what we want to do.”
The nine luxury hotels Clooney is targeting in his boycott are:
- The Dorchester, London
- 45 Park Lane, London
- Coworth Park, UK
- The Beverly Hills Hotel, Beverly Hills
- Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles
- Le Meurice, Paris
- Hotel Plaza Athenee, Paris
- Hotel Eden, Rome
- Hotel Principe di Savoia, Milan
Clooney expressed his stance clearly, stating, “Every single time we stay at, take meetings at, or dine at any of these nine hotels, we are putting money directly into the pockets of men who choose to stone and whip to death their own citizens for being gay or accused of adultery. Brunei is a monarchy, and certainly any boycott would have little effect on changing these laws. But are we really going to help pay for these human-rights violations?”
Following Clooney’s lead, Pursuitist, a luxury lifestyle website, announced that it would join the boycott. The website declared that it would no longer cover, recommend, or feature any hotels owned by the Brunei Investment Agency or Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.
Additionally, Grammy-winning artist Elton John has voiced his support for Clooney’s boycott. In a public statement, John said, “Discrimination on the basis of sexuality is plain wrong and has no place in any society. That’s why I commend my friend George Clooney for taking a stand and calling out the anti-gay discrimination and bigotry now being enshrined in law in the nation of Brunei, a place where gay people are brutalized or worse. I believe that love is love and being able to love as we choose is a basic human right. Wherever we go, my husband David and I deserve to be treated with dignity and respect—as do each and every one of the millions of LGBTQ+ people around the world.”
Conversely, comedian Bill Maher, on his HBO show “Real Time with Bill Maher,” expressed his disagreement with the boycott, labeling it as “chickenshit tokenism.” He argued that if people truly wanted to retaliate against such regimes, they should stop driving and using oil, which would impact nations like Saudi Arabia more significantly.
The Beverly Hills Hotel and the Hotel Bel-Air are part of the Dorchester Collection, which is owned by the Brunei Investment Agency. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah’s personal fortune is estimated at $20 billion. In response to the boycott, a representative from the Dorchester Collection stated, “Dorchester Collection’s Code emphasizes equality, respect, and integrity in all areas of our operation and strongly values people and cultural diversity amongst our guests and employees. Inclusion and diversity remain core beliefs as we do not tolerate any form of discrimination.”
