WHAT'S IT LIKE?
The Langham is a grand, European-inspired hotel with a lobby which announces its intentions in the form of marble, Austrian-made chandeliers, intricate fl ower arrangements and a bar with an extensive range of vodkas and a grand piano playing in the evenings.
The Langham group currently has five properties in its Langham Hotels brand, which are in London (formerly the Langham Hilton), Boston, Melbourne, Auckland and this one in Hong Kong. There is also the more modern Langham Place and the four-star Eaton making a total of seven.
In common with most hotel brands, it has ambitious expansion plans. Both the Langhams and the Langham Hotels distinguish themselves with five “signatures” for the brands, which are either in place or being introduced. The first you notice on entering the property is a Ginger Flower scent which greets guests on arrival, then there’s the Blissful Bed (see below), afternoon tea, a club fl oor with club facilities, and Langham Towels (very thick).
WHERE IS IT?
On Peking Road in the heart of Kowloon (Tsimshatsui), only a few minutes from the Star Ferry and Mass Transit Railway, and 40 minutes from Chek Lap Kok Airport. There are thousands of shops within a 10-minute walk, including the huge shopping centre of Harbour City, with several hundred shops including upmarket boutiques – all in air-conditioned, covered comfort. If you want a more authentic Kowloon shopping experience then the tailor’s touts offering you bespoke suits every step of your way to the MTR transport station will satisfy.
ROOM FACILITIES
The 490 rooms and suites over 16 floors all have air conditioning, satellite TV and pay-movies, a desk area, voice mail and broadband internet connection. They are functional, comfortable, and have everything you need for either a short or long stay, including an ironing board and iron, tea and coffee making facilities and extremely modern phones – new this year – which have a series of functions I could never work out, but thankfully don’t get in the way of making a simple call. One button on the phone is labelled SMART – which stands for Single Touch, Multi-Action Response Team. Similar in idea to Westin’s One Call, it means you can ignore the phone menu and simply press the button to receive service. So far, so marketing, but every time I used it, the promise was fulfilled and I received help immediately. The hotel’s club floor (on the 11th) offers complimentary breakfast, all-day snacks and refreshments, afternoon tea, evening cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, internet access and a large selection of local magazines and newspapers.
Club rooms (there are 74 of these, plus 26 suites) have additional privileges, including a daily allowance of HKD250 (£17.50) for dry cleaning and laundry (HKD400 [£28] for double occupancy), free local phone calls, daily newspaper and use of the health club and swimming pool. It’s the second time I’ve used the club floor here, and the premium price is worth the extra cost. No self-respecting hotel brand could exist without its own signature bed, and the Blissful Bed has a soft mattress, diamond-quilted padding, sheets of 80 per cent cotton, 20 per cent polyester and 100 per cent cotton duvet cover (thread count 255). Throw in the duvet of 25 per cent white duck down and 75 per cent feather, and a range of pillows of different shapes, sizes and contents, and it’s a compelling offering. This is currently being introduced here, so for the moment it will be a matter of luck if you get one, but having tried both the old bed and the new one, I have to say I slept well in both. Others I spoke to were adamant that the new Blissful Bed was much better. It’s clearly something that you either notice or you just go to sleep.
BUSINESS AND MEETING FACILITIES
The business centre is fully equipped, with services including photocopying, notary and accounting, word processing, interpretation and translation and secretarial services, though the club floor can offer a simpler service without extra charge. There are several meeting rooms with audiovisual equipment including a LCD projector, slide projector with infrared remote control, overhead projector, wireless broadband internet connection and ISDN line for videoconferencing. The basement Grand Ballroom is styled after a European Palace with crystal chandeliers and golden silk walls, though it also has installed a full video projection system.
RESTAURANTS AND BARS
The hotel has four outstanding restaurants. T’ang Court is a well-respected Chinese restaurant (book well ahead) with several private rooms upstairs for entertaining. We ate at a large corporate function there and both the food and the service were outstanding. The Bostonian serves American food and has an impressive seafood buffet; Sun’s Café has buffet food from 6am until 1am; while Main Street Deli is a faithful recreation of New York’s 2nd Avenue Deli.
LEISURE FACILITIES
There is a large health club on the 15th floor open 24 hours a day set over two levels as well as an outdoor pool area, tempting in even the most inclement weather (one night as a monsoon lashed Hong Kong I watched as some guests had to be prevented from going out into the rain for a swim). The spa is located in the Langham’s sister property (see page 28).
VERDICT
One of the best hotels in Hong Kong, with excellent service.
PRICE
Internet rates for a courtyard view room in early July start at HKD1,526 (£108).
CONTACT
Langham Hotel, 8 Peking Road, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, tel +852 2375 1133; langhamhotels.com.
Tom Otley
