Luxury hospitality has traditionally been defined by formality and grandeur: opulent interiors, landmark locations, ceremonial guest service, anything and everything that can symbolize the idea of prestige. Langham Hospitality Group knows this well: The renowned Langham Hotel in London checks all the luxury boxes.
Under the leadership of CEO Bob van den Oord, the hotel group is aiming to reimagine not only luxury hospitality, but its overall offerings through more personal, intentional and versatile approaches. HOTELS spoke with van den Oord on his leadership style, Langham’s upcoming plans and what he views as the group’s raison d’etre.
HOTELS: Langham Hospitality Group has a history that stretches back to the 19th century. Having taken over the reins as CEO in 2023, what is your duty to recognize and stay true to that heritage while also pushing the hotel group forward in this modern, connected world?
van den Oord: Langham Hospitality Group’s heritage isn’t just about the past—it’s a heritage that leads. When The Langham, London opened in 1865, it was unapologetically grand in a classical sense. At the same time, it was also one of the most advanced buildings of its era, with hydraulic lifts and running water in every room. That blend of timeless elegance and progressive thinking has been part of the group’s DNA ever since. As CEO, my role is to carry that spirit forward in ways that resonate with modern travelers. Honoring our past is not about standing still, but about using our history as a foundation to craft distinctive experiences for the future.
HOTELS: Langham Hospitality now has four brands, from high-end luxury through to the midscale space. Why is it necessary to be a multi-branded company and do you envision further extensions down the road?
van den Oord: It’s just not possible for a single brand to meet the full diversity of traveler expectations or owner requirements. A multi-brand portfolio allows us to serve different customer segments, diversify revenue streams and give our development partners flexibility to match the right product to the right market. At the top end, The Langham Hotels & Resorts anchors us in the luxury space; Cordis, which is Latin for “of the heart,” positions us in the upscale space and has a distinctive focus on heartfelt guest servicing, wellness and authentic local experiences. Eaton plays to the lifestyle segment, appealing to those driven by creativity, culture and purpose. And Ying’nFlo brings us into the midscale select-service tier, where soulful simplicity and thoughtful design cater to a younger, experience-focused audience. Together, these brands enable us to grow responsibly across geographies and asset categories without diluting each other’s DNA. Looking ahead, we won’t be expanding our brand portfolio for the sake of it. That said, we do remain open to exploring opportunities to address unmet guest or owner needs.
HOTELS: What are your overall global growth expectations for Langham Hospitality Group and how does parent company Great Eagle Holdings help to fuel it?
van den Oord: Our vision is ambitious yet grounded: We aim to grow our portfolio to 100 hotels by 2040, pursued through brand strength, disciplined expansion and long-term partner alignment. In the more immediate term, our pipeline includes Bangkok in 2026, Venice and Kuala Lumpur in 2027 and Diriyah in 2029. We’re also in active discussions about bringing The Langham to other destinations in the coming years.
HOTELS: Quiet luxury is the idea around an aesthetic and lifestyle focused on high-quality, timeless and minimalist possessions rather than flashy logos or overt displays of wealth. Do you find that affluent travelers are drawn to that and how does Langham as a brand tap into it?
van den Oord: While the idea of quiet luxury has gained traction, what guests are truly seeking today is authenticity. At Langham, we describe our approach as “comfortable luxury”—high standards and timeless design, yes, but always warm, always personal. For us, luxury isn’t about hushed tones or imposing opulence. It’s about a home-like comfort where guests feel recognized, welcomed and at ease. You see it when laughter fills the bar or when staff catch up with returning guests in the lobby. That blend of refinement and connection is what makes our version of luxury resonate.
HOTELS: Most luxury hotels are beautiful places, but service is really what sets them apart. What defines service delivery?
van den Oord: Yes, beautiful hotels are common; it’s the service that endures. Our service philosophy, The Langham Way, is modeled on our British heart, Asian soul and global mindset. It champions open and genuine interactions with guests, colleagues and the world at large. The philosophy itself was born out of an exchange in our Club Lounge, when a guest asked a colleague whether his warm demeanor was taught and how he managed to anticipate preferences so naturally. With a smile, he replied, “It’s just The Langham Way, sir,” a phrase the guest later relayed to me in an email expressing his thanks.
HOTELS: Hotels are no longer just heads in beds, but a full range of food and beverage, wellness and other ancillary services. Can you talk about how The Langham is delivering an experience beyond just the room product and how it is designed and operated at the luxury level?
van den Oord: Today’s travelers want more than a comfortable bed; they want experiences that feel both elevated and personal. We design our hotels to deliver a full lifestyle offering, spanning wellness, culture and dining. Food and beverage is a prime example. Our restaurants and bars aren’t about formality or showmanship; they’re about creating spaces where people feel relaxed and at ease. We want our venues to feel like part of our guests’ daily lives and local communities, not just an extension of a luxury stay. Alongside this, our Chuan Spa platform blends traditional Chinese medicine with modern wellness. Across all these touchpoints, the goal is the same: to bring our brand’s essence to life in ways that are as welcoming as they are memorable.
HOTELS: There’s no escaping the velocity of AI and other technology. How do you envision the tech stack not only within the four walls of the hotel, but with regard to distribution and revenue management and how you engage customers and prospective clients when they aren’t at the hotels?
van den Oord: As AI becomes increasingly embedded in daily life, its role in hospitality is clear: to simplify processes in the background so that colleagues can focus more fully on delivering meaningful guest interactions. We’re currently piloting solutions in the areas of bookings, guest hotlines and frontline service, and the results are looking promising.
HOTELS: How would you describe your leadership style and, furthermore, outside of hotels, where do you take cues from to improve yourself professionally and Langham Hotels as a whole?
van den Oord: I believe true leadership is decisive and directional: People look for clarity and conviction from the top. At the same time, it’s about creating conditions for others to succeed. That balance is something my mother taught me early on—that strength and empathy aren’t opposites, but partners. Beyond hotels, I look at fashion and architecture, where creativity is matched by discipline and the smallest details carry weight. For me, it reinforces a simple truth: clarity of purpose, expressed with precision and authenticity, builds lasting trust with those who matter most.
