The Langham Hotel Shenzhen yesterday held ceremonies marking completion of the hotel, attended by project partners Langham Hospitality Group and Shenzhen East Pacific Group.
Operation and service simulations have now commenced, with the team targeting a soft opening some time in October. The Langham Hotel Shenzhen (see previous news) arrives, racheting the luxury dimension of a city more known for its blue-collar origins. The brand – whose roots go back to the traditional style grand hotels as exemplified by The Langham in London – joins the growing circle of high-end players changing the local accommodation scene that includes St Regis, Shangri-La Futian, JW Marriott, Kempinski and InterContinental.
Brett Butcher, Langham Hospitality Group chief executive officer, told Business Traveller this Langham would stay true to the brand's DNA and offer “a classical luxury experience”.
He said: “We’re not out to adapt to others’ concept of luxury. Behind our brand is 150 years of history and romance, and we will continue to promote that.”
The 352-room property features a host of details that conjure old money and English manor living: Winding staircases linking the first four floors, graceful moulding on the wall paneling, sumptuous chandeliers in the ballroom and function spaces, dark blue Georgian-style leather chairs in the executive lounge and Duke’s Wine & Grill restaurant, as well as traditional high tea served in the Palm Court. Butlers are another perk for guests who fancy a Brideshead Revisited or Downtown Abbey experience.
This isn’t to say that the Langham group lives totally in the past – it also has the Langham Place brand, which Butcher describes as purveying “contemporary luxury”.
He said: "Whether one prefers to stay in a Langham or a Langham Place doesn't depend on one's age. It's about who you are and what you like in life."
Currently, Langham has more Langham Hotels than Langham Place hotels, which are located in Mongkok, Hong Kong and at Beijing Capital Airport. But the numbers will grow, Butcher said, with rollouts of this product in Ningbo (2013), Guangzhou (2013), Xiamen (2013) and Dalian (2016).
Here's a peek at what's in store for future Langham Shenzhen guests when it opens for business this fall.
For more about Langham, visit www.langhamhotels.com
Margie T Logarta