Luxury hotels must have something specific to set themselves apart from the myriad hotel chains and boutique hotels around the world. Langham Hotels uses its rich history, dating back to 1865, as the main point of its brand image. A brand's history can be a strong point of differentiation because that's something new competition can't reproduce. However, can Langham Hotels International promote its history through something as thoroughly modern as a website?

LanghamHotels.com brings the brand online in several different ways. First, the homepage reinforces the luxury aspect of the Langham Hotels brand, with a simple, but elegant, pink and brown color scheme and the tagline "The Legend Lives. Since 1865." The site also includes photographs of the hotels and views, showing off the Langham experience through images rather than words.

Secondly, the website differentiates nicely between the two hotel groups. A "Brands" link from the homepage takes visitors to learn more about the overall company, as well as the Langham Hotels versus the Langham Place Hotels and Resorts. The Langham Hotels description explains that those hotels focus on timeless grace and elegance, bringing a sense of the first grand hotel into the present. The Langham Place Hotels information says those hotels redefine luxury with modern elements such as art, music and local flair. Even the logos and photographs attached to these descriptions highlight the differences in the brands.

Langham started as one of the world's most modern hotels, and it keeps up this aspect of its reputation with technology and its website. Visitors can make hotel reservations online and the brand promotes itself through e-brochures and special online-only offers.

On the Langham History page, the company specifically explains what the company is known for in the "Brand Pillars" section: elegance in design, innovation in hospitality, genuine service, and captivation of the senses. This straightforward manner of explaining the way the brand operates is unique and refreshing to see on a website about a company.

But the website's content doesn't stop after simply explaining the brand pillars. Various features of LanghamHotels.com exemplify these pillars through its sophisticated design. The engaging layout of the website mirrors the hotel's "elegance in design," and online features such as e-brochures demonstrate "innovation in hospitality." With plenty of details and information about the hotels on the site, this provides "genuine service," and the photographs and vivid descriptions keep up the "captivation of the senses."

The Langham Hotels website keeps no secrets when it comes to the brand, which brings a sense of visibility and transparency, and therefore, trustworthiness. LanghamHotels.com tells visitors basic information and brings the brand online in coherent ways, and it also gives corporate information and unites all the international aspects of the company. Through straightforward descriptions, visitors know the company's history, legacy and brand image, and they know what to expect at the various properties around the world. LanghamHotels.com is luxury and legacy with a modern, online twist.