The Huntington Langham, Filled with Wonderful Memories, Is Filled With Well-Wishers on its 100th Birthday

Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard toasted The Langham Huntington Thursday night at the iconic hotel’s centennial celebration, calling the Huntington “the pre-eminent house of hospitality in the city of Pasadena.”

Murmurs of “Hear, hear!” erupted around the Lobby Lounge from well-wishers gathered to fête the hotel, a special place filled with so many memories in the lives of some many locals.

Moments earlier, the Langham Huntington’s Director of Communications Susan Williger had quoted the Stephen Royce, a previous owner and manager of an earlier incarnation of the hotel, as toasting the hotel by saying “may you live one thousand years. Just to keep on pleasing guests.”

Williger recounted the hotel’s history highlights and introduced a lady whose lifespan exceeds the hotel’s by a mere three years. Raisa Ell, 103, is a longtime Huntington aficionado who was accompanied by her grandson, prominent talent executive and journalist Robert Ell.

Robert Ell has over the years, Williger pointed out, “witnessed a rare gathering of the Kennedy family on these beautiful hotel grounds, encountered Prince Edward enjoying tea at the Terrace, and enjoyed a concert by the late Donna Summer in one our ballrooms.”

Williger explained the landmark hotel is planning a number of commemorative offers to mark the centennial.

The are a number of special dining experiences planned for the centennial year. This year’s 100th Anniversary calendar will include The Tap Room’s new Huntington 100 martini, featuring three ounces of Double Cross Vodka and .38 ounce of Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur. With a total liquid count of 100 milliliters, the Huntington 100 is shaken, strained and served in a martini glass which is gold-rimmed with sugar, gold dust and ginger powder for $16.
The Tap Room will also celebrate this year’s anniversary with $100 historic cognac tastes, while The Royce Wood-Fired Steakhouse will offer a year-long celebration starter of One Dozen Oysters and Perrier-Jouët Champagne for two, priced at $100.

A celebratory 100-Year Anniversary Tea will be offered by The Langham Huntington, Pasadena on June 10, 2014, to be presented at 1865 pricing and to feature pastries inspired by the jewelry collection of one the hotel’s early co-owners, the glamorous Arabella “Belle” Huntington. Belle Huntington’s famous jewels were purchased in 1926 by acclaimed jeweler Harry Winston, and they continue to inspire luxury pieces today.

A creative family tea tradition will also launch this spring when The Langham Huntington, Pasadena introduces Imagine Tea – an enchanting new quarterly tea experience especially for visitors under the age of 12. Young tea guests will be invited to attend this child-friendly afternoon tea, dressed in any costume which enchants or inspires them, with the tea menu to include flavorful children’s mini-sandwiches and desserts, as well as Langham pink lemonade, hot cocoa, and a selection of freshly-brewed caffeine-free teas.

For guests enjoying the hotel’s elegant Lobby Lounge, a 100-year timeline inclusive of historical photographs will be on high-profile display throughout 2014, to be complemented by pre-reservable property history tours led by Langham Service Stylists. The hotel will also re-open its newly renovated spa in late spring, and it will soon launch a Facebook anniversary competition called “100 Years of Memories.” During this year-long Facebook search, former guests will be invited to share photographs and memories of their property visits over the years, with the winner to receive a complimentary stay in the two-story Tournament of Roses Presidential Suite.

Williger also mentioned (destined to be a noteworthy highlight of the 100th Anniversary year) the hotel’s $100,000 Proposal of the Century package provides a one-of-a-kind luxury marriage proposal experience. Featuring two nights in the hotel’s Tournament of Roses Presidential Suite, a chauffeur-driven ride to the Rose Bowl Stadium via Bentley Flying Spur, and an exclusive performance by the 40-piece Pasadena Symphony Orchestra, the Proposal of the Century takes place as a private couple’s experience at Pasadena’s landmark Rose Bowl Stadium. Celebrating this month’s 100th anniversary of the Tournament of Roses football game as well as the 125th anniversary of Pasadena’s famed Rose Parade, the legendary Rose Bowl Stadium is a National Historic Landmark with more than 100,000 seats. It is a close neighbor of The Langham Huntington, Pasadena.

For more information about the 100th Anniversary, or to make room and package reservations, please call (626) 568-3900 or visit http://pasadena.langhamhotels.com. The Langham Huntington, Pasadena is located at 1401 S. Oak Knoll Ave., Pasadena.