PROFILE
A New Chapter for The Langham, London as Renowned Hotelier Doris Greif is named Managing Director
| BY FELICITY CARTER
The Langham, London first opened its doors in 1865 as Europe’s first ‘Grand Hotel’, with its prime, central London location sitting just at the top of Regent Street, along with style in abundance.
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fter an extensive transformation in 2009 this elegant hotel not only offers spacious and luxurious guestrooms and suites, but also impeccable service. And excitingly, renowned hotelier Doris Greif has been brought into the fold to see the hotel, as she has been named The Langham, London’s Managing Director and Regional Vice President of Operations Europe & Middle East for Langham Hospitality Group. “We are thrilled that Doris is joining the company to lead our flagship hotel in London and to continue its success. She has a formidable reputation in achieving service excellence, innovation, and development and I am confident that she will take the hotel and The Langham brand to new heights.” Bob van den Oord, Chief Operating Officer, Langham Hospitality Group. Undoubtedly, The Langham, London is known for striking that enviable balance between modern sophistication and timeless glamour, being globally recognized for its exceptional intuitive service (nothing is too much trouble for the attentive staff), and contemporary art collections throughout the space. Then there’s the award-winning culinary expertise in the form of chic bars and restaurants including the infamous Palm Court, Artesian Bar, Roux at The Landau restaurant, and The Wigmore, all overseen by the icon himself, Michel Roux Jr. If that wasn’t enough you can pick up some insider knowledge thanks to Sauce by The Langham, the first expert-led cookery school that can be found in a central-London luxury hotel. For those who want to unwind the Chuan Spa Body + Soul provides a little haven away from the hustle and bustle of the city and is London’s first luxury hotel spa to incorporate the ancient principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine into its signature treatments and ambiance. Wellness is complete with a huge swimming pool and a state of the art gym.
to The Langham, where she has previously overseen the rebranding of Jumeirah Beach Club Resort & Spa, repositioned Jumeirah Emirates Towers as the number one corporate hotel in the UAE and Middle East. Now, in the next chapter of her career, and The Langham’s, she will lead the team to uphold the hotels reputation and position as one of the very best hotels in London. In tandem, she will also support the group to grow the Langham brand with new acquisitions and developments throughout Europe and the Middle East. Tell us about your experience and previous roles, and your journey to The Langham? The the most significant portion of my career has been in the Middle East where I spent 19 years in senior leadership roles for Jumeirah. My last role for the group as Senior Vice President Operations – MEASA, based in Dubai. With Jumeirah, I was fortunate enough to be responsible for a number of exciting projects for the brand including rebranding the Jumeirah Beach Club Resort & Spa, repositioning Jumeirah Emirates Towers as the number one corporate hotel in the UAE and Middle East and open Jumeirah at Etihad Towers, winning the World Travel Awards ‘World’s Leading New Hotel’ award; all achievements I am very proud of. I was born in Germany and actually arrived in London from Munich having spent some precious time with my family before taking up this position with Langham Hospitality Group. You’ve moved from Dubai to London, how does the hotel landscape differ between the two regions? London is definitely a bucket list must! There are many similarities between Dubai and London, both are multicultural, highly competitive and have an incredible food and beverage scene. The major difference is the weather, I have had to switch sandals for wellington boots! What’s been your career highlight, or proudest achievement to date? Is there anything to tick off the career bucket list?
Welcoming Doris Greif as Managing Director and Regional Vice President of Operations Europe & Middle East for Langham Hospitality Group, she succeeds Bob van den Oord who was promoted to Chief Operations Officer (COO) based at the corporate office in Hong Kong.
In August 2000 I was appointed as the first female GM in the Middle East at Jumeirah Beach Club, Dubai. This is definitely one of my proudest achievements and gave me the inspiration to mentor other young female colleagues, to assist with their success in the industry, as my career continued to develop.
Known within the hospitality field, Greif brings 19 years of experience
Opening the Jumeirah at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi in 2011 will 35 | UPSCALE LIVING MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2020
