The Langham, Melbourne

The Langham is a luxury hotel that attracts a primarily corporate crowd, though its Southbank location near theaters and museums draws in plenty of tourists as well. Its housed in a modern tower that blends in well with the surrounding skyscrapers, though the lobby looks much more elegant than your typical office building. The floors are covered with marble in neutral tones, and there's a marble starburst at the center that's used to hold a display table full of fresh flowers. A crystal chandelier with golden accents hangs overhead from the moulded ceiling, while gold Louis IX-style mirror hangs on one wall. A double staircase leads up to a mezzanine level where the lounge is located, while a pair of escalators separated by a multi-tiered fountain lead to lower floors and is met by a Renaissance-style statue at the base. 

The Langham is located on a quiet backstreet of Southbank in Melbourne, right on the Yarra River and in an area with lots of restaurants and shops as well as a great deal of points of interests for lovers of the fine and performing arts. Hamer Hall is right by the property, and the National Gallery of Victoria, the State Theatre, the Playhouse Arts Centre, and the Pavilion are all within a 10-minute walk of the hotel. Queen Victoria Gardens take about five minutes to reach on foot. Upscale Collins Street, home to many of the city's most famous theaters -- including the Regent Theatre, Athenaeum Theatre, and Princess Theatre -- is within a 10-minute drive. The hotel is well-connected to public transport, and the Flinders Street Railway Station is a 10-minute walk away, just across the river. The airport is a 40-minute drive away, but can take significantly longer to reach during peak traffic time. 

The Langham offers a total of 388 old-fashioned rooms and suites across nine categories. Decor is classic and sophisticated, with high-quality wood furniture, patterned carpets, and simple framed art prints on the wall. Units have lots of storage space in cupboards and closets, and come with flat-screen TVs, minibars, robes, ironing facilities, and kettles. Suites add Nespresso coffeemakers, iPads, and MP3 docks. Bathrooms are elegant, with lots of marble on the floors, walls, and countertops and all have a walk-in shower and separate tub (suites add two-person whirlpools). Entry-level Superior Rooms and Deluxe River Rooms are more or less the same (except the latter have better views). Both types measure 32 square meters (344 square feet) and come with two twin beds or one king, as do the Deluxe Balcony Rooms on the 10th floor, which have city views and come with the addition of balconies. The Executive Terrace Rooms on the 21st to 23rd floors add terraces with excellent city views, plus include access to the Langham Club. Residence Suites measure are designed for long-stay guests, with fully equipped kitchens for those who want to cook for themselves. 

The Langham skews toward a business hotel, and has plenty of facilities for meetings and events of all sizes, from small banquet rooms to the large Clarendon Ballroom, which can fit up to 400 guests. There's also an executive lounge, the Langham Club, located on the 24th floor, which offers Executive Room guests with perks such as a free continental breakfast, afternoon tea, an evening cocktail hour with hors d'oeuvres, and use of the lounge's meeting room. Guests with lounge access get free Wi-Fi, which is otherwise available for a fee.Wellness facilities include Chuan Spa, which offers treatments based on Chinese traditional medicine. The fitness center is well-equipped with treadmills, exercise bikes, free weights, and a pulley machine. There's also a small indoor lap pool under a glass ceiling that shares a space with a hot tub and a couple of lounge chairs. The pool area leads to an outdoor deck with more lounge chairs and views of the surrounding cityscape.The Langham's Melba Restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and features a wide range of seafood dishes, as well as a wide array of Indian, Chinese, Italian, and Japanese specialties all prepared across a number of show kitchens. ARIA Bar & Lounge is the other on-site option, with coffees, pastries, and English-style afternoon tea on Wedgwood china in the daytime, plus champagnes, wines, and cocktails in the later hours.