Langham Hospitality Group claims a history that dates back to 1865, when The Langham hotel in London opened as the then-largest building in London and Europe's first 'Grand Hotel'. Ten stories and 156 feet high, The Langham featured 15,000 yards of Persian tapestry, hot and cold running water in every guestroom, the world's first hydraulic lifts, known as 'rising rooms', and even an early form of air-conditioning. Upon opening The Langham, the then Prince of Wales hailed the hotel as having "everything a man, woman or child could desire under one roof". The Langham has since hosted royal, political and cultural dignitaries and celebrities, including French emperor Napoleon III and wits and writers Oscar Wilde and Mark Twain. However, the hotel closed during World War II and after the war was bought by the BBC and used as office space until 1986, when it was sold to the Ladbroke Group and reopened as the Langham Hilton hotel in 1991. The Langham was sold to Great Eagle Holdings in 1995. Great Eagle used the 'Langham' brand to rebadge a number of hotels in its portfolio, thus creating the Langham Hospitality Group. Great Eagle has subsequently purchased further hotels and rebadged them as 'Langham' hotels. It has also moved other hotel brands within its portfolio into the Langham Hospitality Group.
Company
Langham Hospitality Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of Great Eagle Holdings. It not only oversees the operations and performance of its own hotels, but also provides professional management services to its developer- or owner-partners. Langham Hospitality Group is the hospitality arm of Great Eagle Holdings, one of Hong Kong's leading property and hotel companies. Great Eagle Holdings invests in, develops and manages office, retail, residential and hotel properties in Asia, North America and Europe. The organisation is also active in property management and maintenance services, as well as building materials trading. Great Eagle Holdings was founded in 1963 with the incorporation of The Great Eagle Company Limited, which was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 1972. In 1990, following a reorganisation, Great Eagle Holdings Limited, incorporated in Bermuda, became the listed holding company of Great Eagle in place of The Great Eagle Company Limited. Langham Hospitality Group has an extensive hotel portfolio with over 5,000 rooms, virtually all of them managed by Langham Hotels International Limited. The group's collection of hotels currently in operation includes luxury properties across four continents, including New York, Chicago, Auckland, Boston, Hong Kong, London, Melbourne, Los Angeles, Shanghai and Thailand. The group additionally owns the 1,590-room Chelsea Hotel in Toronto.
