Tried & Tested

Langham Place Hotel Hong Kong

26 May 2011 by BusinessTraveller

What’s it like? Opened in 2006, the 42-storey Langham Place, Mongkok is one of three Langham properties in Hong Kong, the others being the more traditional Langham Hong Kong, and the four-star Eaton Smart Hong Kong, both also located on the mainland China side of the city, in Kowloon.

The Langham Place is attached to a large shopping centre, with around 300 shops and one of the longest single escalators I have ever seen, taking visitors up eight levels within the building. The modern shopping centre and hotel are in contrast to the surrounding Mongkok area, with its bustling streets full of markets, neon signs and food stalls.

Where is it? In Mongkok, north of Kowloon. There is a MTR (metro) station attached to the complex with links to Hong Kong Island – those taking the Airport Express service will need to alight at Kowloon station (HK$90) and catch a ten-minute taxi ride (around HK$40) to the hotel.

Room facilities Entry level Vital Place rooms are located on floors 11 to 22, with Essential Place rooms on floors 23 and above, which as you would expect offer better views of the city. Standard room facilities include the hotel’s signature Dream Big bed, 42-inch TVs, DVD players, marble bathrooms with combined bath and shower (separate rain shower in Essential Place rooms and above), tea and coffee facilities, wifi internet access, electronic safe, air conditioning and an alarm clock / radio with mp3 docking. In the Essential Place rooms bathrooms are separated from the bedroom with glass walls giving a sense of light and space, and rooms sizes start from 28sqm.

Guests on the six Club L floors have access to the 24-hour lounge on level 36, with personalized check-in and check-out (and 2pm late check out), complimentary breakfast, snacks, afternoon tea, evening cocktails and canapés, with champagne served from 6pm to 8pm. There is also free wifi in the lounge, and guests have access to the boardroom for up to two hours per stay. Club L guests also get up to three items pressed free of charge per stay. The lounge is a comfortable area, with a choice of dining seating and lounge furniture looking out on to the spectacular city views.

The Langham Place brand is a more youthful offering than the traditional core Langham brand, and this extends to in-room gifts (depending on room type). In my case I received a yo-yo, stress ball, and packets of jelly beans placed on my pillow instead of the usual chocolates.

The hotel’s technology offering is impressive, with a range of iPads, iPhones and iPods available for guests to hire during their stay. For more information on this click here.

Restaurants and bars The hotel has a total of five food and beverage outlets, from the outdoor Backyard for cocktails, snacks and pizzas, to the Lobby level The Place for buffet / a la carte breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the third floor Japanese robatayaki-style theatre restaurant.

The two-Michelin star contemporary Cantonese restaurant Ming Court offers lunch and dinner in rich dark wood and gold surroundings, and includes the option of a private dinner in the hotel’s wine “cellar” (see Business and Meeting Facilities below).

Finally Portal – Work and Play is the hotel’s take on a bar / modern business centre. Located on the fifth floor, the area features a chilled seafood bar, and offers Oriental and Western high tea, and DJs playing in the evenings, alongside business facilities including wifi internet access, fax and printing services, a 132-inch TV wall broadcasting sporting events, and a boardroom with 42-inch flatscreen TV.

Business and meeting facilities There are a total of 21 meeting spaces available at the hotel, ranging from the Ming Court Private Rooms on level 6, which can be used as five separate function rooms, or combined as one space to seat up to 250 people theatre-style. These rooms can be catered for by the adjacent  two-Michelin star Ming Court, and there is also the option to hire the Ming Cellar, a private dining room located within the hotel’s wine “cellar”, where delegates are surrounded by over 350 different types of wine.

The Langham Place Ballroom is located on the seventh floor, and offers space for up to 600 guests theatre-style, with seven-metre high ceilings and the possibility to divide the space into four rooms. Decor here includes large crystal chandeliers and wall tapestries.

On level 8 there is a choice of four Shanghai Rooms which again can be combined as necessary, and on the 42nd floor the Star Room can accommodate up to 200 guests, with great views over the city. The hotel still bills the Star Room as “the highest function room in Kowloon”, although the recently opened 118-floor Ritz Carlton Hong Kong in West Kowloon might have something to say about this (see online news February 21).

Finally the hotel’s 6,000 square foot Backyard can be used for events, featuring “with lounge furniture, sweet scented mango trees and a waterfall”.

Leisure facilities The hotel’s health and fitness facilities are all located towards the top of the hotel, with the 24-hour fitness studio, and the 10-room Chuan Spa both on the 41st floor, and the 20-metre outdoor heated pool one floor up on the rooftop (and featuring underwater music, and cabanas for “drinks and massages”). Spa treatments are based on the techniques of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and facilities include a suna, steam room, spa bath and Oriental hot tub.

Verdict Excellent in-room and public facilities, and a vibrant location, although being in Mongkok may not suit all visitors. In-room gifts like the yo-yo and stress ball are a nice touch, although the more useful extras are the iPad and iPhone initiatives.

Fact file 

How many rooms? 665, across 13 categories

Room highlights Comfortable beds and up-to-date technology facilities

Price Best Available online rates for a midweek stay in mid-June started from HK$1,870.

Contact Langham Place Hotel Hong Kong, 555 Shanghai Street, Mongkok, Kowloon; tel +852 3552 3388; langhamplacehotels.com

Mark Caswell

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