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She may be 144-years-old but following a head-to-toe, $130-million makeover, Europe’s first purpose-built grand hotel is hipper than ever. The Langham, situated between London’s West End and Regent’s Park, just unveiled its lavish revamp of 382 guest rooms (down from 425), a glammed-up new lobby, restaurants and, of course, the now requisite Facebook and Twitter pages.
Not surprisingly, the iconic hotel is trying to target a younger, trendier set who might be partial to time-traveling back to an era of spiffy service and old-school decadence. The Langham’s heritage is storied. Opened in 1865, the Victorian grande dame claims a litany of firsts — the first big hotel with a hydraulic elevator, the first with hot and cold water, and the place where the tradition of afternoon tea began in the hotel’s swanky Palm Court restaurant.
Today, the Palm Court is decked out with embossed leather benches and bronze sculptures, while on the menu are over 30 blends of tea and, thankfully, a tea sommelier. The new-look hotel also lays claim now to one of the poshest and largest two-bedroom boudoirs in the capital. Overlooking All Souls Church, the 2,540-square-foot Infinity Suite is named after a giant infinity tub (pictured) with “color therapy lighting” that forms the centerpiece of a private spa. The suite also comes with its own lobby, which, as the Langham puts it, “ensures ideal entertaining.”
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