Something old, something new
Visitors to Langdon Hall want to bask in the grandeur of a bygone era while indulging in a bit of modern decadence
FOLLOWING THE WINDING, tree-lined lane and emerging at the stately manor’s grand entrance is like a journey back in time. Guests of Langdon Hall Country House Hotel and Spa find themselves immersed in the luxurious life of an elite family at the turn of the 1900s.
But along with that antiquated elegance, they’re also looking for modern amenities and services that suit current tastes.
To ensure guests get the best of both worlds, owners Bill Bennett and Mary Beaton launched a $7 million addition to the country estate.
The new building will be home to an expanded state-of-the-art spa and event venue suitable for weddings and meetings, as well as eight luxury guest rooms. It all blends perfectly into the historic estate and its grounds.
“It will have a great sense of space,” says Bennett.
When the couple bought the property just outside Cambridge and spent a year and a half on renovations to transform the private home into a hotel, their initial plan included eventually adding more space.
“Thirty years ago, we did envisage an expansion,” says Bennett.
Originally, though, that expansion plan
was for added guest rooms. But that’s evolved as the needs and interests of guests have changed since it first opened in 1989. But Bennett and Beaton definitely didn’t anticipate the surge in interest for spa services.
When Langdon Hall opened, few hotels had spas and the couple thought of themselves as cutting edge for including the pampering service.
“We had absolutely no idea how popular it would become,” says Beaton.
The spa offers facial and body treatments, massage, alternative therapies such as reflexology and beauty services — which overnight and local day guests enjoy.
The new spa will boast additional rooms for new treatments, including a couple’s massage, which the spa gets calls about regularly and which smaller rooms cannot accommodate.
“It’s definitely something that our guests are interested in,” says spa director Julie Simcox. “I think it must be just to spend time together. I thought it was going to be a short-lived request, but it’s not.”
Simcox plans to continue offering the spa’s popular services, like the anti-aging treatments, and to add new ones in the expanded space that will have bigger rooms and more amenities. Rooms equipped with showers, for instance, will make it possible to combine a full-body scrub with a facial and body treatment package.
“The new space will open up a lot of combination of treatments … as everything will be on one level,” says Simcox. “Right now, you can’t easily usher guests from one space to the other, but the new space will have multi-functional rooms.”
Along with 12 treatment rooms, there will be a sauna, steam room, whirlpool and new gym facilities. All treatment rooms will boast heated floors, and the plan is to give each one a botanical name, in keeping with Langdon’s naming tradition seen on its guest and meeting rooms.
Simcox is eager to get into the new space, which she calls “amazing” after having a
sneak peek while the building is still under construction.
The new spa will be spread over two floors in a building next to the main hall. All treatments will take place on the second floor, and manicures and pedicures — which are currently done in a common area where people stroll through — will move to private rooms.
“We’ve expanded into these little nooks and crannies,” says Simcox. “It was never meant to be a spa, and we’ve definitely outgrown the space.”
On arrival, guests of the new spa will be greeted in a separate reception and retail area on the main floor (with the reception desk custom designed by Bennett). The idea is to minimize traffic around the treatment rooms and improve flow.
“It’s going to be quiet … very relaxing and calm,” says Simcox. “A lot of thought went into the flow of the space.”
Simcox is developing new treatments that will be worthy of the new space, but realizes her plans might need to change again as she and the crew settle in.
“I want to get used to the space and see how we can adapt to that,” she says. “We’ll be changing frequently throughout the year.”
Longtime spa guest Moira Taylor is excited to see the new spa too. She’s been visiting Langdon Hall since the early ’90s for a little pampering and peace.
“It’s really tranquil and lovely,” says Taylor, who found it the perfect haven from her hectic workdays when she was president of St. Mary’s General Hospital.
For years, when she lived nearby in Ayr, she dropped by every couple of weeks. But even now that she lives a bit farther away in Dundas she still fits in a visit every month, most often for a manicure and pedicure, occasionally for a facial or massage.
Her Langdon Hall spa routine is to arrive a bit early to sip a cup of tea in the pleasant waiting room before her appointment.
“It’s not good for your waistline, but they make these great little muffins,” says the 67-year-old.
What she likes best, on top of the setting, is that spa staff are attentive and mindful of keeping everything hygienic. For her, it’s a comfort zone.
“It’s a lovely place to treat yourself,” says Taylor. “I walk in and I can say good morning to the people and I know who I’m talking to and they know what I’m looking for.”
But Taylor and other guests might have to wait a little longer than expected to enjoy the new spa and events area. Construction started on the wing last November, and its opening was planned for Thanksgiving. However, with a long cold winter and very rainy summer, the opening is now expected to be in January.
Still, the delay hasn’t dampened the pleasure the owners take in seeing their vision coming close to reality, along with a new era for Langdon Hall.
“We’re really excited about this whole thing,” says Beaton.
Bennett adds, “It was a big dream, so now it’s come true.”
Bennett, an architect by trade, helped design the new wing, along with Kitchenerbased architects Robert Dyck and David McLagan.
Some regular guests expressed concern about changing the historic property, But Bennett and Beaton knew their plans would respect Langdon’s heritage.
“It’s going to be very much what we already have,” says Beaton.
The gardens are a big feature of the
property, and will only add to the appeal of the new building, especially the event venue.
“It will be integrated into the existing gardens,” says Bennett.
The 2,500-square-foot venue will be called Fir Shade, for its spot under the fir trees planted in the original garden designed by the Olmsted brothers — John and Frederick Jr. — renowned landscape archi- tects who made a name for themselves in the late 19th century to early 20th century. It will look out onto the lower garden and include an outdoor pavilion.
“The hotel really does so much more than rooms,” Beaton said. “It’s such an extraordinary property.”
Best of all, says Beaton, it’s in our own backyard.