Hotel Review: The Langham, Auckland (Superior Room)

I visited the City of Sails back in November 2016 for work and as much as I wanted to stay in the Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour (check out my review HERE!), the hotel was running high on occupancy and the room rates were way above the rates that I paid back in 2015. Since the meetings were primarily going to happen in The Langham, Auckland, I decided to stay in the property itself since it meant being able to sleep-in and get to the meetings on time.

Click HERE to check out the room rates at The Langham, Auckland!

Bedroom
Superior Room - The Langham, Auckland

I arrived from Singapore on-board the Singapore Airlines Suites Class (where I checked out the amazing Private Room beforehand) and so I had over 4 hours of sleep (which is a personal record for me) on the plane. If you wish to take an UberX ride from the airport, it is best to make your way to the entrance of the Novotel Auckland Airport before requesting for one to avoid any potential conflict(s) with the local taxi drivers.

Bedroom
Superior Room - The Langham, Auckland

The Langham, Auckland is often rated as one of the top five hotels in Auckland and it is located quite close to the city - there is an hourly complimentary shuttle that ran between the hotel and the city center while I was there. I stayed there for five nights but ended up walking to the city each time since it was actually quite doable (it does get quite hilly on Queen St so if you are traveling with elders or children, it is best to wait for the shuttle instead). During my visit in November 2016, I stayed in a Superior Room and since I've book the stay via Expedia (use ShopBack for cash back!), I did not get any elite-qualifying nights and stay added to my 1865 Privilege account. 

Bedroom
Superior Room - The Langham, Auckland

The Superior Room is the lead-in category room at The Langham, Auckland and it was 28 sqm in size. Honestly, since I came directly to Auckland (with a 2 hour layover in Singapore) after two weeks in some of the best hotels in Tokyo and Hong Kong, the room felt stale and unimpressive. Hey, even my room at the Hilton Tokyo had 30 sqm of space and that is in one of the cities that are notorious for their smaller-than-average room sizes. Perhaps it was just impossible to impress me after a flight on-board Suites Class in Singapore Airlines but The Langham, Auckland was definitely one of the oldest hotels that I have ever been to in recent years (yes, this even includes that Waterfront Suite that I stayed in at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Singapore back in 2014). 

Welcome Amenities
Superior Room - The Langham, Auckland

The Superior Rooms are located on the lowest levels of the hotel and they can generally be found from level one to level four. I did receive a bottle of premium sparkling and still water as well as some fruits as a welcome amenity though. The Langham, Auckland pales in comparison to the Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour where I stayed last year - the latter property was professional, clean and modern-looking while The Langham, Auckland was dated, tired and uninspiring. In fact, when I got to my room, a housekeeper was actually still tidying up inside (not a big deal but the hotel receptionist should probably make a call before assigning me with a room). 

Bottled Water
Superior Room - The Langham, Auckland

Drinking water is provided and replenished daily but since I had access to The Langham Club during my stay, I could easily head up to grab a bottle whenever I needed one. The power sockets in the room are also not universal so you will require a universal adapter - there is one in the room that you can purchase or use during your stay. With all that being said, the bed is actually really comfortable and that marshmallow-top was great for a good night's rest. 

Bathroom
Superior Room - The Langham, Auckland

The bathroom in the Superior Room was also pretty standard - one that you would expect from an older hotel property. It features the good old shub (shower + tub) which is understandable since the room is only 28 sqm in size. Everything worked alright but the bathroom and bedroom were definitely showing signs of age. 

Bath Amenities
Superior Room - The Langham, Auckland

Bath Amenities were provided by ZAMBELI (an Australian luxury brand) which I thought was a slight mismatch from what the hotel is - The Langham, Auckland is old-school luxury (or at least they position themselves to be) while ZAMBELI is modern, bold and contemporary. 

The Langham Club
Superior Room - The Langham, Auckland

Even though I stayed in a Superior Room, I arranged for access to The Langham Club (which is generally a privilege for Club Rooms and Suites) - something you can purchase either at check-in or via a simple email conversation with the reservations team. Guests of The Langham Club can enjoy access to the club lounge which offers continental breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktails. It is worth noting that guests of The Langham Club will not be able to enjoy a complimentary buffet breakfast at Eight Restaurant but they do get a special rate of NZD 29++ there. 

The Langham Club
Superior Room - The Langham, Auckland

The Langham Club here at The Langham, Auckland was generally empty during my stay - the most crowded period was probably during evening cocktails (5:30PM to 8:00PM) but even then only 30% of the club lounge was occupied. They do have quite an extensive list of wines and beers during this hour but no Champagne was served - the canapes during the evening can definitely also substitute for a light dinner if you are not feeling too hungry. 

View from Bedroom
Superior Room - The Langham, Auckland

I did not explore a lot of the facilities at The Langham, Auckland as I was there on a work trip and I tried to make the most out of my evenings by checking out places around the city. The hotel pales in comparison to the Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour but you can sometimes get a pretty good rate here. The beds are comfortable and the air-conditioning works without a hitch so no issues here with getting a good night's rest. However, those are perhaps the best parts of the stay. If you are open to the idea of staying away from the city and the crowd, it is probably a better idea to look elsewhere unless the room rates around are terribly high.

The Langham, Auckland
83 Symonds Street, P.O. Box 2771, Auckland 1010 New Zealand
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