The Langham Hotel, London was first built as a hotel in the 1800’s and has an interesting history having been labelled Europe’s first “Grand Hotel”. Designed by John Giles, the hotel was built between 1863 and 1865, costing £300,000. Today, the hotel will likely take more than that amount in revenue in 3-days and spent £80M on the refurbishment that was completed in April 2009.
The Prince of Wales opened the hotel during a ceremony on 16 June 1865, and – under the stewardship of General Manager James Anderson – it quickly become a popular hotel for a mix of dignitaries, celebrities and businessmen, including Mark Twain, Oscar Wilde, Napoloen III, Hetty Green, and Arturo Toscanini. Indeed, the hotel has its place in literary history, featuring in Sherlock Holmes stories, such as A Scandal in Bohemia and the Sign of Four. The hotel remained popular amongst royalty and the gentry during the 20th Century, with Sir Winston Churchill, Diana Princess of Wales, and Charles de Gaulle all regular patrons.
The Langham Hotel struggled during the Great Depression and so the owners attempted to sell to the BBC, who instead opted to build Broadcasting House across the road at Portland Place. However, the BBC would occupy the hotel as ancillary accommodation to Broadcasting House post war, before purchasing it outright in 1965.
In 1986, the BBC sold the property to the Ladbroke Group who would later purchase and sell the non-US portfolio of Hilton Hotels, re-opening as the Langham Hilton in 1991 following an extensive £100M refurbishment. Today, the Langham Hotel is the flagship European property of Hong Kong owned Langham Hotels International.
The Langham Hotel, London offers a range of elegant meeting and event space, from an intimate boardroom to the extravagance of the Grand Ballroom, which will host up to 300 delegates for a conference.
Type | Min to Max |
Theatre Style | 110 to 275 |
Banquet Style | 100 to 250 |
Classroom Style | 62 to 154 |
Reception Style | 150 to 375 |
Boardroom Style | 4 to 12 |
Dinner Dance Style | 76 to 190 |