The Langham Melbourne review

Where 1 Southgate Ave, Southbank, (03) 8696 8888, langhamhotels.com

Cost From $280, without breakfast.

At a glance 388 rooms and suites, adjoining rooms; bar, restaurant, pool, day spa, health centre, sauna, paid valet parking.

In room Free WiFi, smart TV, bath, some balconies and coffee machines, pillow menu, Chuan Spa toiletries.

Best room Fancy moving in for an extended stay? The Residence suite on the 10th floor has a butler’s kitchen and dining room, two king bedrooms and a laundry.

The Langham is proudly analogue in a digital age. The lavish marble lobby with tiered fountains is a time capsule from an earlier century, a calling card continued somewhat less impressively in the rooms with their heavy wooden furniture and floral carpets. The secret to The Langham’s success is simple: know thy customer. Old-fashioned ritual and service prevail – just ask the dressed-to-impress crowd enjoying the daily high tea, the stay-cationers lazing near the riverfront pool, or the genteel throng at Melba Restaurant, where buffet dining is anything but abject. And what’s not to love about a crack team of concierges with the secrets of Melbourne at their fingertips?

We love

The service at The Langham is second to none, whether it’s the concierge offering to use his contacts to secure a last-minute dinner reservation, the appearance of children’s bathrobes or the civilised midday check-out.

Must-try

A hotel dedicated to The Langham “experience” has a gift shop par excellence, drenched in signature pink. Will you take home a bed and linen, an embossed pet collar, or the hotel’s signature ginger flower-scented oil as a memento?

Dining options

The Melba will convert the biggest buffet snob with its multicultural breakfasts ($40), and an impressive selection of shellfish and culturally diverse cooking stations at lunch and dinner. You can even have the hotel’s popular Wedgwood high tea delivered to your room.

Drink up

Though busy, Aria bar lacks X-factor and city views, and there are many better options nearby. Swing by at 7.05pm, however, for a complimentary Peach Melba cocktail.

BOOK NOW

This review was made independently for the Gourmet Traveller Hotel Guide. The guide’s reviewers visit unannounced and pay their way.

The Gourmet Traveller Team

Gourmet Traveller is Australia’s trusted authority on food, travel and luxury lifestyle, bringing the latest news and trends to life through quality journalism, enticing recipes and evocative photography. For more than 55 years, it has been inspiring and informing Australians with the best in cooking, dining, travelling and shopping. Our critics bring the expertise of years of critical eating, drinking and writing to the table. Plus, as the country’s leading title in the luxury sector, Gourmet Traveller works closely with Australia’s leaders in the travel and hospitality industries to give our readers exclusive access. The Gourmet Traveller legacy is one of trust, prestige and relevance.