Langham Hospitality Group has also announced a new opening, expected in 2026, in Bangkok, Thailand. The 78-room hotel will be the group’s first in Thailand and only the third Langham branded property in Asia, outside of China and Hong Kong.
New leader for The Langham, Gold Coast
Arpad Romandy joined The Langham, Gold Coast as it general manager last month, leaving the same role at InterContinental Hayman Island.
Romandy has more than 30 years of experience in hotels, 23 of which were spent with IHG Hotels and Resorts. Before spending five years at the helm on Hayman Island, following the hotel’s reopening as an InterContinental, Romandy headed up Amora Hotel Jamison Sydney and was hotel manager at Shangri-La Sydney.
“We are delighted to welcome Arpad to the team,” said Jeffrey van Vorsselen, Langham Hospitality Group’s regional vice president of operations, to whom Romandy will report.
“With his exceptional leadership and extensive experience in the hospitality industry, Arpad will continue to elevate our hotel’s reputation for excellence and provide guests with unparalleled memories.
“His vision and commitment to service aligns perfectly with the Langham Hospitality Group’s values, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact he will bring to our brand.”
The Langham, Gold Coast has also picked up two other new faces, both, like Romandy, with connections to Mulpha, which owns the Hayman Island resort.
Mark Marshall has joined the property as executive chef, from his previous position as hospitality operations manager for Mulpha Hospitality Group, while Megan Reid has joined the hotel as its director of human resources. She was director of human resources for Mulpha Australia on Hayman Island over a decade ago and has more recently worked for Dreamworld, IHG Hotels and Resorts and as the principal consultant for HRH Human Resources Hub.
New faces at The Langham in Sydney and Melbourne
There have also been multiple appointments at The Langham, Melbourne and The Langham, Sydney.
In Sydney, Kim Read has been appointed the director of sales, moving over from Accor where she was director of sales and marketing. Read has well over three decades experience in the hospitality industry in Australia and London.
In Melbourne, Lucas Gougeon has been appointed hotel manager and will oversee both the day-to-day running of The Langham, Melbourne as well as steering its strategic direction. Gougeon is moving over from Langham Hospitality Group sister property, Cordis Auckland, where he has been the director of food and beverage for more than six years.
Also in Melbourne, Lee Guo has been appointed executive housekeeper, moving over from Crown Resorts. Another moving over from Crown Resorts is Evanda Yam, who is The Langham, Melbourne’s new assistant head of food and beverage.
The Langham brand on track for Thailand
The new Langham set for Thailand will be known as The Langham, Customs House, Bangkok. It will be located on the Chao Praya River in the Bang Rak district of the city.
Langham Hospitality Group has partnered with Rabbit Holdings, who will develop the property.
The hotel is to occupy what was the city’s Customs House as the centrepiece, with a modern structure to be constructed beside the heritage building and an old post office that will also be part of the complex. The new parts of the building will house the 78 guest rooms.
“We are thrilled to appoint Langham Hospitality Group to manage the property,” said director of Rabbit Holdings, Kavin Kanjanapas.
“The company’s dedication to creating timeless luxury hotels and demonstrated success in heritage conservation makes it the ideal partner to further our vision to set a new standard for luxury hospitality in the region and honour the rich cultural heritage of Customs House and the Bang Rak district.”
The hotel is set to feature a ballroom and a T’ang Court, the three Michelin-star Cantonese restaurant which started at The Langham Hong Kong and has since become part of other Langham properties. There will also be a destination bar, a dedicated pastry outlet and a signature Chuan Spa.
“The Langham, Customs House, Bangkok exemplifies our strategy of incorporating cultural preservation into hotel development while concurrently creating unparalleled experiences for guests and the communities in which we operate,” said Langham Hospitality Group’s CEO, Bob van den Oord.
Successful sales mission highlights other properties in the pipeline
On a recent sales mission, which visited all of three of Langham’s Australian hotels, the hotel group also gave event organisers an update on other properties in the pipeline in the Middle East and Europe.
First announced to the Australian market at AIME 2023, The Langham, Venice, is anticipated to open in 2026. Similar to the project in Bangkok, the Venice property is breathing new life into historic buildings – the Casino Mocenigo building and the Murano glass factory. The hotel will have 133 rooms.
Meanwhile, The Langham, Diriyah, 15 minutes outside of the centre of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, is expected to open in 2029 with 200 rooms.
The sales mission, comprising 15 different events, brought representatives from 10 Langham properties and senior Langham executives together with 700 professionals from business events, corporate travel, travel management companies and luxury travel.
“It was the most successful sales mission in the Pacific region with solid customer engagement across all three locations,” said Langham Hospitality Group’s director of global sales in Australia, Amanda Frack.
