December 2008 : Opened by the Prince of Wales (later, King Edward VII), in 1865, The Langham, London was not only the capital's first purpose built Grand Hotel, but also the first in Europe. When it opened it had the accolade of being one of the largest public buildings in London, 7 floors, containing 600 rooms, and the first ever hydraulic lifts. Situated at a commanding position on Portland Place, at the top of Regent Street, The Langham has been at the forefront of sophisticated and glamorous hospitality for over a century.

To crown this magnificent achievement, The Langham, London is proud to announce that in 2009 it will be re-born, unveiling a sweeping and substantial programme of restoration and refurbishment, at a cost of £80 million.

The painstaking work on this iconic and listed London landmark building includes 382 luxurious guestrooms designed to evoke a warm residential feel, all 15 functions rooms (including the historic Grand Ballroom lovingly restored to hold up to 375 guests), the lobby, public areas and the dazzling Palm Court, famed as the place where the tradition of afternoon tea was born over 140 years ago. The transformation of these areas will be completed and opened to the public in March 2009.

The Langham, London remains fully operational throughout this period of restoration, with a reduced number of suites and rooms and a temporary entrance and lobby on Regent Street. Already opened in 2007 were the sophisticated and elegant, David Collins - designed restaurant, The Landau and bar, Artesian, both great successes lauded not only for their design but chef Andrew Turner's now famous grazing menus and the award-winning wine and cocktail lists at the bar and restaurant.

The dramatic rebirth of the hotel is being overseen by Managing Director, Duncan Palmer who has worked at the highest level of hospitality in the UK and internationally. As he has said:

"I have the most wonderful opportunity to work with the owners and management team I have appointed, together with the experienced staff, to re-establish this iconic hotel as one of the most popular, luxurious, independent and service-orientated hotels in London - an exciting challenge."

The Langham, London is the flagship property of Langham Hotels International which operates the luxury Langham Hotels brand and other hospitality brands all over the world including Hong Kong, Shanghai, Melbourne, Boston and Pasadena.

This major development will fully reinforce the hotel's position as one of the most important properties in the world as well as one of the most luxurious, innovative and iconic hotels in London.

For a short visual introduction to the historical path and development of The Langham, London since opening in 1865 through to 2009, please visit www.beautyawakens2009.com

About Langham Hotels International & Affiliates

Langham has a legendary hotel heritage dating back to 1865 when The Langham in London originally opened as Europe's first Grand Hotel. For over 140 years, this flagship hotel has been at the forefront of sophisticated and gracious hospitality. Today, all Langham Hotels worldwide inherit the same philosophy that reflects elegance in design, innovation in hospitality, genuine service and captivation of the senses creating a truly unique hotel experience.

The group is pursuing an aggressive portfolio growth strategy using its distinctive brands and affiliate - The Langham, Langham Place and Eaton. Currently, 16 hotels, including affiliates, are open or in the pipeline across four continents.

The Langham is where guests can enjoy service with poise and be enchanted by our innovation and traditions while Langham Place, the fun sibling of The Langham, is about living the 21st century through design, technology and attitude, epitomising stimulating and artistic hospitality

Eaton, a premium four-star affiliate property, aims to surprise and delight our guests with a value-for-money proposition that delivers a stylish, modern level of comfort with spirited, can-do service.

Langham Hotels International is a wholly-owned company of Great Eagle Holdings (Stock Code: 0041) which was founded in 1963 and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 1972.

Reservations for Langham hotels can be made by logging onto langhamhotels.com or eatonhotels.com.

EUROPE: The Langham, London INDIA Langham Place, Koregaon Park, Pune	ASIA: Hong Kong The Langham, Hong Kong Langham Place, Mongkok, Hong Kong Eaton Hotel Hong Kong
NORTH AMERICA: The Langham, Boston The Langham, Huntington Hotel & Spa, Pasadena	China Langham Place, Beijing (2009) Langham Place, Beijing Capital Airport (2009) The Langham, Yangtze Boutique, Shanghai (2009) Langham Place, EDZ, Guangzhou (2010)
PACIFIC: The Langham, Auckland Langham Place Vineyard Resort + Spa, Waiheke Island, Auckland (2010) The Langham, Melbourne	Thailand Langham Place Miora Resort + Spa, Kalim Bay, Phuket (2010)

For further enquiries, please contact:

Nick Barrington Wells PR Manager The Langham, London T: 44 (0) 20 7973 7515 nick.barringtonwells@langhamhotels.com	Eliot Sandiford/ Susannah Bacchus PR T: 44 (0) 20 8968 0202 eliot@bacchus-pr.com susannah@bacchus-pr.com