Hotel Check: The Langham New York, Fifth Avenue

WHERE IS IT? Location is in midtown within easy walking distance to the Empire State Building and Penn Station. Central Park is a healthy hoofing northward along the legendary shopping and sightseeing corridor of Fifth Avenue. 

WHAT’S IT LIKE? If the Langham is anything it is understated. Floor-to-ceiling windows give way to minimalist interiors accented by riveting Alex Katz pop-art portraits. Eleven originals and some 250 reprints line the otherwise beige spaces and hallways but a third floor Gallery offers maximum immersion amid a $2 million collection.  

ROOMS: The 234 rooms and suites are a study in cream colored textiles, rich hard wood closets and surfaces, large contemporary bathrooms (yes, there is a television in the mirror you can watch from your furo soaking tub), and, perhaps best of all – Duxianna beds. If you never slept in one you will be hard-pressed to rise from this one. Of course, there is a handy Nespresso press for great coffee in the morning. Visiting dignitaries and captains of industry will want to book the 1,905 square foot Roche Bobois Penthouse Suite. Views from this two-bedroom spread take in the Empire State Building. For private business meetings the suite has a dining area that seats up to eight guests, supported by a full, Miele appliances-equipped kitchen and private laundry machines.

Recently, the Langham introduced the Terrace Trio on Fifth, which joins together three guest rooms on the hotel’s fifth floor, each with its own individual terrace, to create one large outdoor space for safe and celebratory activities as a group.

FOOD AND DRINK: Al Fiori is the signature dining experience here and it comes with a coveted Michelin star. The second floor cocktail bar and restaurant continues the Langham’s ode to unpretentious surroundings and focuses instead on the exquisite quality of the experience. The menu skews to French precision with Italian spirit, aimed to impress aristocrats and celebrities. But in the past few months, Al Fiori has taken a few tips from youth culture and created the Sky Terrace, a secret eleventh floor outdoor restaurant scene that can only be accessed through obtaining a special room key through the second floor venue (very popular with influencers). For all day dining count on a pricey but worthy set up through room service. 

MEETINGS: Meetings here happen in nine function rooms ranging in size from 325 square feet to 1,380, to accommodate small tête a têtes to intimate receptions. 

LEISURE: The property runs the Chuan Spa with combo cedar and Himalayan salt saunas in both the men’s and women’s sections of the spa. Although the spa was not open at the time of review, the fitness room was and offered all the precision workout machinery required. 

But the Langham is, instead, taking the focus outside and, for now, that means celebrating the reopening of Broadway and New York City’s Theater District. The Langham Loves Broadway package includes a customized tour for up to four guests around New York City’s famed Theater District, starting and ending at The Langham, with entertaining and rarified peeks into the history of that neighborhood. Other amenities offered through the Langham include VIP passes to the Empire State Building, access to one of New York City’s most celebrated private art collections, The Morgan Library & Museum, a personalized shopping package and a 90-minute sunset cruise around the city aboard a luxury 1920’s style motor yacht. 

VERDICT: For a centrally located stay that will not disappoint and will, in fact, impress, Langham Place can be counted upon for consistency, professional service and large helping of haute living. The luxury element is not showy here. It’s in the details, ever eliciting that flicker of surprise coupled with unexpected perfection. 

BEST FOR: C-suite executives and business travelers who deserve a treat. 

PRICE: From $700 per night depending on timing. 

CONTACT: Langham Place, New York City; 400 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10018; (212) 695-4005. www.langhamhotels.com