Review: The Langham, London hotel review

Selected by the editors as one of the best hotels in London

First impression: A grand hotel with hefty heritage.
Staff: At your beck and call.
Food and drink: Elegant dining and sophisticated cocktails.
Bed and Bath: Refined decadence.
The crowd: Locals, tourists and the odd celebrity trying to keep a low profile.
Address: The Langham, 1C Portland Place, Marylebone, London W1B 1JA
Price: Doubles from £390

Set the scene
With more than 150 years of history, this classic London hotel has an impressive homegrown pedigree. Opened by The Prince of Wales in 1865 with a luncheon attended by many prominent figures in Victorian high society, it was later used by Arthur Conan Doyle as the setting for several Sherlock Holmes stories. Charles Dickens referenced it in his London guide, and for a time it was a broadcast base for the BBC. But it has evolved, too, with additions to offerings and services, as well as two multi-million-pound renovations in recent years.

What’s the story?
Architecturally The Langham is a bit of a mix. Italianate with Gothic elements and a French pavilion-roof skyline, it is built from Suffolk bricks and Portland stone. The largest hotel in London at the time, this grande dame hit the headlines when it first opened. It was controversially located some distance away from any mainline railway station just as train travel took a more luxurious turn and well-heeled visitors arrived in the city from Europe and beyond. To lure guests away from travel hubs and into the centre of town, The Langham took luxury to the next level, installing hydraulic lifts, air-conditioning and electric lights – and inventing a rather successful service known as afternoon tea.

What can we expect in our room?
With a total of 380 rooms and suites there are lots to choose from and while they range in size, a refined elegance sets the tone for them all. Plush velvet furniture and sleek polished side tables with gently sweeping Art Nouveau curves are reflected in gold, silver and copper gilt-edged lamps and accessories. These subtle touches of luxury are ramped up further by parquet flooring that extends to heated marble bathroom floors. Renovations in 2015 saw the addition of the Sterling Suite, which was inspired by English pageantry and at 450 square feet is one of the largest in London. One configuration allows for six bedrooms, so there is plenty of room for the whole family.

How about the food and drink?
The choices here are many and varied. Traditional afternoon tea is served daily in the grand open space of the Palm Court, while the unbuttoned Roux at the Landau restaurant, which reopened in 2018, has a New York-style seafood and charcuterie counter, adding a more informal grazing option to its traditional dining set-up. Staff at Artesian, the award-winning bar overseen by mixologist Marco Corallo, use their on-site lab and its medical-grade centrifugal machine to separate fruits into their component parts, creating ever more options for the intricate cocktails. And then there is The Wigmore. This sophisticated tavern has the atmosphere and vibe of a great local pub combined with the elegance of a five-star hotel. The chips are served ‘fat’ with Bloody Mary salt and the extensive beer list includes a craft home brew.

Anything to say about the service?
As you would expect from a prestigious property, the service is slick, personal and always polite. Jovial doormen greet you, and waiting staff are as enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the menus as they are charismatic in character.

What’s the neighbourhood scene like?
If you want to explore the bustle of Regent Street and the bright lights of the West End theatre scene then this hotel puts you right at the centre of the action. But it is also wonderfully placed for the less obvious patchwork of London neighbourhoods. A short walk from the boutiques of Marylebone High Street, it is also next to the blossoming foodie scene in Fitzrovia and close to the literary hub of Bloomsbury.

Anything else?
Understanding and anticipating guests’ wishes has been key to the continued success of the hotel. The Langham Club, a light, bright and airy private lounge, was added in 2015 and is old-school in attitude but contemporary in design. Among other things it offers complimentary service and all-day dining, plus a team of butlers to book theatre tickets and advise on where to shop. The spa changed focus in 2017 with the opening of Chuan Body + Soul, which takes a holistic approach to wellbeing grounded in Traditional Chinese Medicine. And finally there’s new cookery school Sauce, another clever addition to The Langham line-up, where basic lessons, specific skill sessions and masterclasses with Michel Roux Jr are all on the menu and in high demand.

And anything you would change?
The layout. That is of course a big ask, but the labyrinthine nature of the hotel makes it, at times, difficult to navigate.

Is it worth it - Why
Yes – from its grand beginnings through the war years and periods of restructuring the hotel continues to deliver to its audience in all areas.