B (1)

The Langham Auckland

BACKGROUNDOpened

30 years ago as a Sheraton,

the property became a

Langham hotel in 2005. It

is a favourite both in the

business community for

meetings and events, and

with locals for dining out.

WHERE IS IT?At the top of Symonds Street

close to upper Queen Street. Although this is not a

marquee location – most hotels can be found down

near the waterfront – one positive is that almost all

meetings you might be attending require a pleasant

walk downhill. A regular shuttle bus also runs to the

downtown waterfront area and back.

WHAT’S IT LIKE?A ten-storey main building

flanked by two smaller wings, the exterior of the hotel

is unprepossessing. There are two entrances, one to the

main lobby on Symonds St, and a lower level entrance

on City Road. Its 409 rooms comprise 182 Classic, 184

Executive and 27 Club rooms, plus 16 suites.

Inside, a spacious, oval lobby area in rich marble leads

to a plush sunken lounge called Palm Court where

people meet, drink and take afternoon tea. Every time

I passed by, day or night, it was buzzing.

ROOM FACILITIESI was in an Executive suite

• guests in Executive suites and Club rooms have
  Langham Club Lounge access on the 10th floor, offering
  a small but more than adequate breakfast buffet; fruit,
  snacks and beverages all day, and pre-dinner drinks and
  canapés. (Other suite benefits include butler service
  and wake-up calls with a delivered beverage.)
  The guestrooms are 28 sqm as standard, but my suite
  was three times that size. The décor is a rich combination
  of greys, beiges and browns, with marble tiling, thick
  carpets and old-fashioned sofa and chairs in wood and
  velvety, embroidered cushioning. Dark-wood furnishings
  are fronted by attractive walnut panelling; the overall
  effect – and this is true throughout the hotel – is of a step
  back into a more genteel colonial age.

The minibar was comprehensive, and the Nespresso

machine a welcome nod to current trends. The marble

bathroom sported Chuan Spa products, a bath and an

excellent walk-in shower, large with powerful pressure.

I particularly liked the Super King Blissful beds that the

Langham uses across its portfolio – extremely comfortable

and I slept very well. A small concern was that only on the

final day did I notice the ecofriendly“clean sheets”note on

the far bedside cabinet near the window, which requests

that you place it on the bed if you don’t need to have

your sheets replaced every day. I would have used it,

but it was not prominently displayed – a shame.

BARS AND RESTAURANTSThree F&B offerings

include the ground floor Eight restaurant, Palm Court

lobby lounge, and the Langham Club Lounge. Eight is the

main eatery for all meals; designed around independent

cooking stations through which you can wander and

choose your preference, it offers eight different cuisines

covering Asian and Western styles, all using fresh natural

produce. The seafood bar was outstanding, and the

restaurant atmosphere is bustling and energetic. Palm

Court offers breakfast, light meals and a superb afternoon

tea set designed in collaboration with Wedgwood.

MEETING FACILITIESThere are 13 function rooms

ranging in size from four-person meeting rooms to the

fittingly named Great Room that caters up to 1,400

people. The Crystal Room (up to 280 theatre-style)

has recently been renovated in a more modern style

with lighter décor, providing two very distinct choices

for events.

LEISURE FACILITIESChuan Spa uses Oriental

techniques, bespoke Chuan products and elements of

traditional Chinese medicine in its array of personalised

treatments. The health club includes a fitness room,

sauna and steam room (with ice bucket rub-down

area), plus a heated open-air swimming pool and

Jacuzzi. All are accessed from the second floor. The

gym is open 24 hours and is adequate if not the most

attractive space, but the outdoor pool is a nice bonus

for a city centre hotel.Jeremy Tredinnick

VERDICTWhile this type of

luxury hotel may not appeal

to those looking for voguish

modernity, its stately approach to

hospitality and plush furnishings

evoked a pleasant nostalgia. I

looked forward to returning each

day – any hotel that can elicit that

feeling is doing its job very well.

PRICEInternet rates

for a midweek stay in

an Executive suite in

July start from NZ$769

(US$528) per night.

CONTACT83 Symonds

Street, Grafton, Auckland;

tel +64 9379 5132;

langhamhotels.com/

auckland

26 ITried & TestedHotel

The overall

effect is of

a step back
into a more

genteel

colonial age

JUNE (^2016) businesstraveller.asia