Boycott Empties Out Beverly Hills Hotel

It seems that Hollywood is really paying heed to the growing boycott of the Dorchester Collection, the Sultan of Brunei's 10 luxury hotels that includes the famous Beverly Hills Hotel.

Visiting the "Pink Palace" of Sunset Boulevard on Wednesday afternoon, The Hollywood Reporter found the hotel much quieter than usual. The valet was not jam-packed and most people in the lobby appeared to be tourists, not Hollywood power-brokers. The most telling sign of a change afoot was the hotel's famous restaurant, The Polo Lounge, was nearly deserted. The eatery has been the nexus of deals and networking for nearly a century, but on Wednesday you could hear a pin drop. Reporter staffers oddly chose to break picket lines by eating at the restaurant, but they weren't the only ones munching on the Lounge's famous coffee cake. Slumdog Millionaire actor Dev Patel was also at the restaurant, but said he would not return when told the hotel's owner legalized stoning gays and women to death. Read more here.