The Ultimate Guide to Brilliant by Langham

Langham is a small but luxurious hotel chain. While it mightn’t share the popularity of its larger competitors, its recently revamped Brilliant by Langham loyalty program can still make every stay a rewarding one.

Whether you’re staying with Langham, Cordis or an affiliate hotel attached to the program, here’s your introduction to Brilliant by Langham. We also dive into the program’s perks for regular travellers, and whether it’s better to use your hard-earned points towards hotel stays or conversions to partner frequent flyer programs.

How do I join Brilliant by Langham?

It’s free and easy to join Brilliant by Langham. Here’s how to sign up:

1. Venture to the Brilliant by Langham enrolment form on the program’s website.
2. Enter your details and create a password. You’ll also need to read and accept the T&Cs.
3. Click ‘join now’ to complete the process and become a member.
4. Make a record of the membership number provided, and ensure you attach this to your future reservations to earn rewards and unlock benefits.

Which hotel brands are attached to Brilliant by Langham?

Brilliant by Langham focuses on two key brands: Langham and Cordis. Compared to other major hotel chains, these have a very small footprint. Langham has just 18 hotels around the world, at least, with 10 more on the way. As for Cordis, the chain has eight properties, with three more planned.

The program is also affiliated with Eaton (two properties), Ying’nFlo (three properties) and Chelsea Hotel in Toronto. Still, that’s only 32 properties – or 45, once those earmarked have opened. By comparison, a chain like Marriott Bonvoy has over 10,000 hotels attached to the one loyalty program.

Given the reach of Brilliant by Langham is so niche, we might as well list every hotel!

Langham: In Australia, you’ll find hotels in Sydney, Melbourne and on the Gold Coast. Langham also has a presence in Boston, Chicago, Hong Kong, Jakarta, London, Los Angeles and New York. In Mainland China, you’ll also find Langham in Changsha, Guangzhou, Haikou, Hefei, Ningbo, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Xiamen. Hotels are also planned for Bangkok, Chengdu, Diriyah, Foshan, Nanjing, San Francisco, Seattle, Tokyo, Venice and Xiamen.

Cordis: While you won’t spot a Cordis in Australia, venturing over to Auckland finds one property. As well as Hong Kong, Cordis hotels are also located in Beijing, Foshan, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Shanghai (x2) and Xuzhou. Additional locations are planned for Kunshan, Xiamen and Xi’an.

Other brands: You’ll find two Ying’nFlo locations in Hong Kong, plus one in Xiamen. There’s an Eaton in Hong Kong and another in Washington, D.C. Rounding out the listings, there’s the Chelsea Hotel in Toronto.

What are the Brilliant by Langham tier levels?

Including the entry-level tier, Brilliant by Langham offers five standard membership levels. But for those who reach the highest public tier, there’s incentive to keep travelling, if you know where to look. That’s because there are two hush-hush variants of that level, for those who need just that little bit extra recognition.

The Brilliant by Langham tiers are:

• Onyx
• Topaz
• Diamond
• Sapphire
• Ruby
• Ruby Elite (unpublished)
• Ruby IO (unpublished)

Here’s a look at how the benefits improve as you progress through each tier, and how to reach each one. To move up the program, you’ll need to earn Status Points. The Brillant by Langham website doesn’t make a clear outline of how many Status Points you can earn on spends. But, in my experience, it’s akin to the number of ‘Brilliant Points’ you earn, excluding additional points provided as an ‘Elite Bonus’.

Brilliant by Langham Onyx

Requirement: given to all Brilliant by Langham members upon joining.

• Access to discounted ‘member rates’ when booking direct.
• Save 5% at participating hotel restaurants and bars. In Hong Kong, that’s boosted to 15% until 31 December 2025.

Brilliant by Langham Topaz

Requirement to earn or retain: 12,000 Status Points (US$400 annual spend).

Joining the introductory benefits for Brilliant by Langham Onyx members, those at the Topaz tier also receive:

• An ‘Elite Bonus’ of 10% more points earned per stay.
• Opportunities to purchase tickets to ‘member exclusive experiences’ and ‘VIP Events’.

Brilliant by Langham Diamond

Requirement to earn or retain: 108,000 Status Points (US$3,600 annual spend).

Building on the benefits of the lower tiers, Brilliant by Langham Diamond members can expect:

• An increased discount of 10% at participating hotel bars and restaurants.
• Earn a higher Elite Bonus of 15% more points, compared to 10% more points for Topaz members.
• Complimentary early check-in, subject to availability.

Brilliant by Langham Sapphire

Requirement to earn and retain: 360,000 Status Points (US$12,000 annual spend).

You might say that Brilliant by Langham’s Sapphire tier starts to unlock the ‘real’ guest recognition that frequent travellers have come to expect of many larger programs. Perks include:

• Improved Elite Bonus of 25% (total).
• The promise of a ‘room upgrade voucher’.
• Late check-out of 2pm, subject to availability and excluding resort hotels.
• Choice of Elite Welcome Amenity with every stay. Select from ‘Elite Amenity Points’, a welcome drink or a dining credit.

As a Sapphire member myself, I’ve found that delivery of these benefits isn’t particularly consistent. I’ve held Sapphire since the previous 1865 program was relaunched as Brilliant by Langham, but I’ve never received a room upgrade voucher. Nor have I been given the choice of an Elite Welcome Amenity on check-in.

Instead, during my most recent stay at The Langham in Sydney, I found a thoughtful welcome amenity in the room. Joining that, a handwritten welcome card. It’s a nice touch and certainly appreciated, especially when it’s unexpected.

However, for a hotel program with such challenging requirements to earn and retain elite status, and such a limited footprint at which the benefits of status can be enjoyed, the small number of hotels that participate should be absolutely nailing this.

Brilliant by Langham Ruby

Requirement to earn and retain: 720,000 Status Points (US$24,000 annual spend).

Brilliant by Langham describes its Ruby tier as ‘the ultimate level in luxury’. Is that description fair? You decide. Here’s what you get as a Ruby member, over and above Sapphire:

• An increased Elite Bonus of 50%.
• Late check-out of 4pm, subject to availability.
• Elite Welcome Amenity choices expanded to include a ‘Local Welcome Gift’. However, Ruby members can still make just one selection.

Some travellers might fairly question the value in having to earn twice as many Status Points for Ruby compared to Sapphire. Especially so, when the benefits can’t be said to be ‘twice as good’. For instance, even at this top level, breakfast still isn’t complimentary. Through competing programs like Hilton Honors, that morning meal is gratis from the mid-level Gold tier.

Brilliant by Langham Ruby Elite / Ruby IO

Requirement to earn and retain: undisclosed.

Here’s something I discovered by accident. Within the Ruby level, Brilliant by Langham has two further designations. These are Ruby Elite, and Ruby IO. You won’t find clear mention of them on the Brilliant by Langham website, but they’re there, if you know where to look.

As for the meaning behind the levels, we can fairly speculate that Ruby Elite would be for travellers who go well above and beyond the regular requirements of Ruby. In global loyalty programs, ‘IO’ is a designator for invitation-only status. In fact, that’s what Emirates calls its own secret frequent flyer tier. Clearly, Ruby IO is for members who’ve been handpicked for the highest levels of recognition.

Curious about the perks of Ruby Elite or Ruby IO? For now, that remains a well-kept secret.

How do I earn and spend points through the program?

Members of Brilliant by Langham can earn both Brilliant Points and Status Points with every eligible stay. As a baseline, members pocket 150 Brilliant Points plus 150 Status Points for every US$5 spent. Those with elite status will earn their Elite Bonus on top, which is provided in Brilliant Points only (not also Status Points).

When it comes to spending points, you can redeem them on hotel stays. However, you’ll need enough points to cover the entire stay, as you can’t mix cash and points on a single booking. As an example, on dates I’ve searched, The Langham in Sydney has a Deluxe City King selling for $403 per night. To book that same room and rate costs 137,272 Brilliant Points. That values each point at roughly 0.293 cents (AUD), based on current exchange rates.

To earn those same points, you’d need to spend around US$4,576 (AU$7,266) on accommodation as an entry-level Onyx member. Again based on current exchange USD:AUD rates, that means Brilliant by Langham is essentially serving up points on hotel stays akin to giving a cash rebate of around 5.55%.

It’s also possible to spend Brilliant Points at on-site restaurants and bars. Value rates are only provided upon redemption.

Frequent flyer partners

As an alternative to spending points at the hotel, you can also transfer points from Brilliant by Langham to the program’s frequent flyer partners. Even so, these options have shrunk significantly since the program was relaunched from 1865 Privilege. What were 18 airline partners have now been reduced to four. Qantas and Velocity were both axed as transfer partners, with the four remaining options exclusively based in Asia.

Here are those current options for Brilliant by Langham members.

Frequent flyer program	Conversion rate (minimum conversion)
Air China Phoenix Miles	25,000 Brilliant Points = 1,000 Kilometres
Cathay	25,000 Brilliant Points = 500 Asia Miles
China Eastern’s Eastern Miles	25,000 Brilliant Points = 1,000 Kilometres
Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer	25,000 Brilliant Points = 500 miles

Is it worth converting your Brilliant Points, you might ask? Based on the redemption rate we quoted above for hotel stays, we can’t say it’s great value. Spending 25,000 Brilliant Points at a hotel would give a value of around AU$73.25, based on current exchange rates. Transferring the same number of points to Singapore Airlines, for instance, nets only 500 KrisFlyer miles. For context, a one-way Business Class flight from Sydney to Singapore requires 68,500 KrisFlyer miles. That means you’d be forgoing AU$10,035.25 in hotel savings just to convert enough miles for that one-way ticket, on which, you’d still have to pay taxes and fees to book.

Langham also notes that converting miles “may take between six(6) and eight(8) weeks for miles to be credited to your designated FFP membership account.” Also, conversion rates are “subject to change without prior notice at the sole and absolute discretion of Brilliant by Langham.”

Clearly, this is a move to keep for when you have a relatively small number of Brilliant Points and don’t have a better use for them, or they’re about to expire.

How do I contact the program?

If you’re specifically looking to contact customer service for the Brilliant by Langham program, there’s a dedicated page on the Langham website.

Through this online form, you can make enquiries about reservations and membership details.

Is it worth joining Brilliant by Langham?

On the one hand, Brilliant by Langham is a difficult program to make inroads with. The requirements to earn meaningful status are very high, the hard benefits are relatively lite, and the number of hotels it covers are miniscule. It’s the kind of program that you wouldn’t go to the trouble of joining if you weren’t already going to stay with Langham.

In our book, a great loyalty program should sway customer behaviour. It should make travellers strongly favour one company over another, and go out of their way to be loyal. In turn, the benefits provided should outweigh the effort, and give the traveller a great sense of achievement. Perhaps, even a greater sense of purpose to their travels. Brilliant by Langham just isn’t in that category.

Instead, Brilliant by Langham seems strongly geared towards retaining the loyalty of Langham’s existing clientele. Perhaps, putting just enough on the table that they choose Langham instead of a competing luxury hotel in cities where Langham is an option. Or, serving as a way to reward those who are going to book with Langham anyway, without negatively affecting revenue by adding ‘free’ perks. After all, even top-tier members are still paying for breakfast under Brilliant by Langham.

Frequently asked questions

Featured image, other photography and hotel membership card compilation graphic by Chris Chamberlin. Individual membership card imagery courtesy of Langham Hotels.

---

Stay up to date with the latest news, reviews and guides by subscribing to Point Hacks’ email newsletter.