An artist’s rendition of The Langham, Kuala Lumpur.
The lists are out. From Michelin Keys to World’s 50 Best to Travellers’ Choice Awards, the lists of this year’s “top” everything in travel and tourism are all starting to roll out.
The latest is the list of “World’s Best Luxury Hotel Brands 2024”, which was released by LTI – Luxury Travel Intelligence, a global members-only organisation that provides information on luxury hotels, restaurants, spas and more, to affluent travellers.
This annual list has been compiled by LTI – Luxury Travel Intelligence in the past 12 months using its own signature algorithm, featuring 130 touchpoints – each one comes with a score – that are relevant to the luxury hotel sector. These touchpoints relate to overall brand performance and not the performance of individual properties.
This year, the Mandarin Oriental group sits on the top spot again for the second time running.
The list is also extended from the previous 12 to 15 this year, and each brand needs to only have at least eight properties to qualify; previously a brand needed to have at least 10 properties to get on the list.
According to the organisation, Mandarin Oriental was chosen as the World’s Best Luxury Hotel Brand this year because the group has improved on several touchpoints, including new openings, number of followers and loyal customers, as well as commitment to excellence in service.
Trailing close behind is Bulgari, a new entry that showed impressive results in the past months.
Michael Crompton, founder of LTI, said in a press release, “The inclusion of Bulgari is particularly prevalent as they are a very focused and well-managed organisation, with each property delivering a truly ultra-luxury guest experience.”
On the #3 spot is Oetker Collection, followed by Six Senses, Aman, One&Only, Rocco Forte, Rosewood, Belmond, Auberge, Dorchester Collection, Four Seasons, Peninsula, COMO and Raffles. Of the 15, only three brands – one of which is Mandarin Oriental – have properties in Malaysia.
In other news, The Langham will finally make its debut in Malaysia in 2027, with the opening of a resort in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.
Langham Hospitality Group (LHG) and Artisan Hospitality, a joint venture led by a subsidiary of Oxley Holdings (Singapore), recently announced that The Langham will be opened as part of the Oxley Towers KLCC complex. Yes, the property will be located in the capital city’s busy Golden Triangle area, a stone’s throw from the Petronas Twin Towers.
According to the press release, this is the second hotel in South-East Asia announced by LHG this year, after just releasing plans for another property in Bangkok, Thailand. The Langham first made its debut in the region in 2021 with a property in Jakarta, Indonesia.
“We look forward to bringing our flagship brand to Kuala Lumpur, a gateway city in a thriving part of the world that is also home to a notably robust travel market,” LHG CEO Bob van den Oord said in a statement.
The Langham, Kuala Lumpur will house 198 guestrooms and suites, as well as an array of amenities including a “sky pool”, T’ang Court restaurant, and Palm Court, an iconic eatery from the brand’s London property, said to be famous for its afternoon tea sets.
The Standard, Singapore will open in mid December.
Another hotel brand that’s set to expand in South-East Asia is The Standard, which will open its first Singapore property on Dec 15. The Standard first entered the market in the region with a resort in Hua Hin (2021), Thailand; it opened The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon the following year.
The Standard, Singapore is nestled in the prestigious Orange Grove Road and is a short walk away from the 150-year-old Botanic Gardens, a Unesco World Heritage Site. The country’s famous Orchard Road shopping district is also nearby.
The hotel has 143 rooms across eight floors, with a beautiful garden as one of its main features. There’s an izakaya called Kaya At The Standard that comes with a Japanese-inspired menu, and adjacent to the restaurant is the Kaya Bar.
There’s also the Cafe Standard, which focuses on American bistro fare.
