BANKING ON BOSTON

The Langham Boston is everything that a classic city hotel should be, writes NICK GOODYER

THOSE VISITING BOSTON for the first time might notice a sea-salt tang in the crisp air, evoking the New England city’s maritime heritage and hinting at its famed history – tea parties and revolutions included.

It’s fitting then, that The Langham Boston should have a first-rate historical pedigree: the building, situated in the city centre, was built in 1922 as the Federal Reserve Bank, and as beautifully appointed as the hotel is, the smell of New England old money and the click, click, click of Remington typewriters seem just a moment in time away.

The hotel is a National Architectural Landmark, and its owner, Langham Hotels International (part of Hong Kong’s Great Eagle Holdings), has scrupulously retained original elements of the building – and in some instances enhanced them. Such is the case with Bond. Formerly the bank’s Members’ Court, this imposing yet chic restaurant and lounge bar occupies a vaulted cathedral-like space complete with original chandeliers and murals with a monetary theme that depicts various government bonds. At the far end, and above the bar, is the Dom Pérignon Lounge, a private mezzanine area that can seat around 20 people, who get to sample the champagne house’s vintages along with the likes of calamari with black sesame, sweet Thai chilli and scallions. The financial motif extends to the cocktails, named after infamous bank robbers, famous financiers, and various and all-too frequent meltdowns – though like the markets, the cocktails change with the seasons. One permanent fixture, however, is the signature Sawbuck Martini, made with ginger syrup, lime juice, basil and Grey Goose vodka.

The centrepiece of the restaurant, the interior of which was overseen by designers Jeffrey Beers International, is the stone-andmetal seal of the Federal Reserve. Set into the floor near the bar, it lay undiscovered until the restaurant was being fitted out before its opening in 2009, and Serge Denis, the hotel’s managing director, recounts the day he was called from his office to see the new discovery.

“The seal was uncovered during the demolition of the old restaurant,” he says. “The reason nobody knew it was there was because there was a built-in circular banquette on top of it, which had been installed during the hotel construction in 1981. Someone from our engineering crew called me and said, ‘You might want to come down here and take a look at what we’ve just found.’

“Although the seal was damaged and in poor condition – concrete had been poured on it to level the surface of the floor and an electrical outlet had been installed right in the middle of it – I realised right away that this was authentic and part of the heritage of this building. I felt that this was something we needed to showcase to our customers, and especially for Bostonians, who are so proud of their history. It was like uncovering a shoebox full of old photographs in the attic of your parent’s house,” marvels the MD.

Original photographs of the bank in its heyday, depicting scenes such as visor-wearing clerks in shirtsleeves and stern-looking ladies in the typing pool, line the corridors of the fifth floor. These were supplied by the current incarnation of the bank, which is just a stone’s throw away. In fact, The Langham Boston maintains a close relationship with the building’s former owners, who have provided much in the way of advice and archive material. Of note are two original murals by NC Wyeth that occupy the stately former governor’s room, a space that can now be booked for meetings.

As storied and thoroughly traditional as the building is, the hotel is bang up-to-date when it comes to comfort and service, drawing favourable comparisons with some of the world’s greatest hotels. The 318 rooms (including 17 suites) are furnished with every amenity that one could desire. The top three floors of the building were added when it was converted to a hotel – it opened in 1981 as Le Méridien Boston and was taken over by Langham in 2004 – but have sloping glass windows so that these new floors are effectively invisible from the street. The service takes the “anticipated needs” category to a level that’s artful in its execution – by the time a guest has thought of something he or she needs, they may find that it’s already on the way to the room.

Boston is, of course, a city for business as well as numerous pleasures, and The Langham Boston’s Chuan Body + Soul eases harangued hedge-fund managers, tired traders and burnt-out bankers with its traditional Chinese medicine-inspired pampering. The experience begins with a simple questionnaire that focuses on the five elements – wood, metal, fire, earth and water – to find out which is out of balance. Guests are asked about their mood that day, which colours they like, which flavours they favour, and what time of day they prefer; the massage treatment will then include products such as essential oils that will redress the balance. In addition to the spa are round-the-clock fitness facilities and a heated indoor pool.

PRESTIGE TIP
Chocolate Bar

Although the spectacular Bond tends to steal the limelight when it comes to dining and imbibing at The Langham Boston, Café Fleuri, with its atrium ceilings and naturally sunny disposition, is an equally attractive alternative. Renowned for its Sunday Jazz Brunch, it features live music and a lavish menu covering everything from the city’s famous seafood to the New England-French fused cuisine of Executive Chef Mark Sapienza.

Of special note, however, is the Saturday Chocolate Bar, a Boston institution now in its 22nd year. Pastry Chef Jed Hackney has concocted a new theme this season: Five Elements of Taste, encompassing salty, sour, bitter, sweet and savoury. Lovers of all things cocoa can sample delights such as blueberry and white chocolate panna cotta, 70 percent Guanaja chocolate stack (cocoa biscuit and Guanaja ganache with Chantilly cream), and whoopee pies (a New England classic – soft chocolate cake sandwich with marshmallow filling).

The flowing fondues, tiers of cakes and pyramids of chocolates are a little reminiscent of that episode of The Simpsons in which Homer dreams of living in a world made entirely of chocolate and doughnuts. Just don’t be tempted, as Homer was, to take a bite out of one of the waiters.

www.boston.langhamhotels.com