A wholly-owned subsidiary of Great Eagle Holdings, Langham Hospitality Group comprises a family of distinctive brands including The Langham Hotels and Resorts, Cordis Hotels, Eaton, and Ying’nFlo. The group boasts over 30 projects either confirmed or in advanced stages of negotiation spanning Asia, Europe, North America, and the Middle East. The Group is named after the legendary Langham in London, which was widely recognised as Europe’s first Grand Hotel. For more than 150 years, this flagship hotel has epitomised sophisticated and gracious hospitality—a philosophy that embodies elegance in design, innovation in hospitality, sincere service, and the captivation of the senses across all its properties.
Bob van den Oord has been the head of strategic growth and performance at Langham Hospitality Group for over two decades. He has enhanced the company’s international presence, operational efficiencies, and guest experiences through innovative partnerships and digital advancements. His extensive tenure includes pivotal roles such as Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, where he spearheaded numerous organisational transformation initiatives and played a key role in shaping the direction of the group’s renowned brands.
Before ascending to these corporate roles, Bob managed several prestigious properties within the group, including The Langham in London and Hong Kong and Eaton Hong Kong. His early career was marked by food and beverage directorships across various London hotels and a significant stint as Resident Manager at Le Meridien in Boston.
Bob’s foundational expertise in hospitality management is backed by a degree in higher economic education from C.O.O.V.I., specialising in hotel management.
We caught up with Bob to hear his take on the evolving landscape of the hospitality industry and Langham’s vision for the future.
The journey to CEO
I began my career working in the kitchens of a small town in Belgium while attending catering college. Then, the allure of hotel management drew me to Brussels, where I immersed myself in studying the craft. This led to a transformative year-long internship spanning Europe and culminating in a role at the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris.
Eager to expand my horizons, I then ventured to London, where I held various food and beverage management roles, including a position with St George’s Hotel across the street from what is now The Langham, London—a property I often admired.
My journey then propelled me to the United States, where I played a foundational role in shaping what eventually became The Langham, Boston. This paved the way for a position at Langham Hospitality Group, where I’ve since worked across the company in corporate and property roles for over 20 years.
In 2020, I assumed the post of Chief Operating Officer, after which I was asked to step into a new position overseeing three regions and the group’s flagship property, The Langham, London, a long-held dream destination of mine. This pivotal posting proved the perfect stepping stone to the Chief Executive Officer role I took up in September last year.
Langham Hospitality Group’s legacy
The Langham, London, built in 1865 as Europe’s first Grand Hotel, was very much ahead of its time. It was one of the first hotels anywhere with elevators and introduced an early form of air conditioning. This push to deliver the most cutting-edge and sought-after offerings to our guests has stayed with us since.
As a case in point, our recently launched loyalty and experiences platform, Brilliant by Langham, was very much borne out of our desire to address the growing demand for more rewarding, personalised, and captivating hospitality encounters.
We never want to adapt to the point of losing sight of where we came from and who we are. Because in a world of ChatGPT and automation, people are increasingly looking for authenticity. This is where we excel.
We have four hotel brands within the group: The Langham Hotels and Resorts, Cordis Hotels and Resorts, Eaton, and our latest brand, Ying’nFlo. Together, they offer enormous breadth in what we bring to market.
Among the brands, The Langham is the quintessential flagship, profoundly influencing the group’s identity. Rooted in the heritage of our London establishment since 1865, it embodies a distinctly British heart, evident in everything from our refined tea sets to our exclusive club lounges. However, the essence of the group is very much enriched by our Chinese ownership, which infuses an unmistakable Asian soul into aspects such as our spa experiences and culinary delights. Moreover, with our extensive presence spanning four continents, we have embraced international benchmarks, cultivating what we proudly term a global mindset.
In addition to these elements, we have a distinct operating model. Unlike many groups, we own a fair number of our hotels—roughly 50 per cent. This gives us an edge when taking up hotel management contracts because it often takes an owner to know one.
The goal
In 2023, we achieved unprecedented profitability, setting the stage for ambitious growth as we work to expand our portfolio from 33 hotels to 100 by 2040. In pursuing this path, our foremost initiative will be enhancing the allure of our four hotel brands, ensuring they resonate deeply with guests and provide unforgettable experiences.
At the same time, we need to do more to capitalise on our culinary leadership, leveraging our seven Michelin stars, four Black Pearl Awards, and exceptional chefs like Michel Roux, Tom Aikens, and Masaharu Morimoto.
Moreover, I plan to enhance our commitment to sustainability through our EarthCheck certification programme, sustainable sourcing, and waste management efforts.
Of course, we’ll also continue to make strides in digital innovation, utilising big data to enhance guest experiences with our new CRM, ERM, PMS, and POS systems.
Finally, we will, of course, ensure that our unique culture, embodied in The Langham Way, remains at the forefront, guiding everything from guest service to colleague support.
Langham’s positioning in the Middle East
The Middle East hospitality industry is rapidly growing, particularly in the hotels segment. The region stands out for surpassing others in terms of new rooms and its significant growth rate over existing capacity. The increased appetite for branded residences is also noteworthy and something we’re looking at closely.
We see an opportunity to prioritise sustainability and community involvement to enhance the region’s progress and ensure responsible and balanced development.
Langham Hospitality Group is strategically establishing its presence in the Middle East by developing The Langham, Diriyah in Saudi Arabia. Scheduled to open in 2026, this property will play a pivotal role within the Diriyah complex, a cultural and lifestyle destination just 15 minutes from downtown Riyadh. Boasting 200 luxurious rooms and suites, The Langham, Diriyah, will offer guests an immersive blend of Saudi heritage and contemporary luxury.
In addition to our Diriyah venture, we are actively exploring opportunities for expansion within the Kingdom, with potential consideration for The Langham and our art and wellness-led Cordis brand, as well as future representation in cities such as Jeddah and emerging high-end resort destinations.
We see promising prospects for The Langham brand in Oman, the UAE and North Africa, underscoring our commitment to cultivating a robust presence across the region.
Sustainability and CSR
In 2008, we embraced the concept of a triple bottom line focused on measuring our performance not only through profit but also through our impact on people and the planet. This led to our global partnership with EarthCheck and the creation of our CONNECT programme.
EarthCheck facilitates independent third-party sustainability audits of our properties against recognised international standards. We have received certifications for 20 of our hotels so far, eight of which are Platinum certifications or above.
CONNECT, meanwhile, focuses on driving sustainability initiatives at the Langham Hospitality Group’s corporate level. The program has four priorities—governance, environment, community, and colleagues—which together form a framework aimed at minimising our environmental footprint and constructively contributing to the communities where we operate.
Meeting changing demands
In response to the evolving landscape of experiential travel, Langham Hospitality Group has introduced Brilliant by Langham, our newly launched loyalty and experiences platform. Designed with the discerning traveller in mind, Brilliant is tailored to deliver more enriching, personalised, and immersive hospitality experiences.
Through this innovative platform, we offer guests immediate benefits, gain deeper insights into their preferences, reward their loyalty, and curate bespoke experiential offerings.
By leveraging technology and the latest insight-gathering approaches, we have truly enhanced our ability to adapt to the dynamic needs of our guests, ensuring that every stay with us is not just memorable but truly exceptional.
Tech innovations
We are actively using big data technology to further our digital innovation, which aims to better serve our guests in a comprehensive and always-on way. Everything from our new CRM platform to our new ERM tools to our recently updated PMS and POS systems facilitates this.
Of course, there’s also Brilliant by Langham, which is essentially a technology platform. The primary impetus for it was the evolution we’re seeing in guest needs.
All the while, however, we still find ways to deliver the human touch that people yearn for more than ever—we still use service stylists, we still give in-person art tours, and we still serve afternoon tea in much the same way we’ve been doing since 1865.
Service Excellence
Our renowned service excellence is largely facilitated through our Quality League programme. It’s a multi-faceted system and toolkit based on Total Quality Management and Six Sigma principles to ensure we maintain and improve our ability to build great memories for our guests.
The programme uses a combination of checklists, protocols, best practice guidelines, spot checks, mystery guest audits, complaint handling procedures, and data analytics to deliver consistent quality levels and continually enhance quality.
We also have several guiding principles that support our pursuit of excellence more generally, including the Langham Way and our triple-bottom-line approach to business performance.
The future of the industry
I look forward to the continued rise in demand for experiential travel and more authentic hospitality encounters. As guests seek meaningful experiences and connections with local culture, we have a significant opportunity to capitalise on these trends through our Brilliant platform and renowned guest servicing approach.
When considering which market is the most exciting right now, the Middle East stands out as the premier region for hospitality growth and innovation. Its robust development environment and pioneering hotel concepts offer unmatched opportunities for expansion. The region’s commitment to pushing boundaries and embracing cutting-edge technologies further cements its status as a dynamic hub for new concepts.