Luxurious week sees great nights' sleeps at the Langham, bracketed by fine meals at Landau & Locatelli

Thank heavens the recession is easing. Financial confidence brings so many advantages. A more confident business environment. A more interesting work agenda with the possibility of bigger budgets. Nicer hotels on business trips. Call me shallow if you wish, but those luxurious venues for corporate events are important. (And let's face it: Without them, this would be a much less interesting blog.)

Like many business-to-business firms, my company hosts an annual summit during which we bring together our most valued customers for meetings with our executives, insight into our strategy, a chance to tell us what they really think, and a bit of a treat in a location that rewarded their time and effort to be with us. In years past this event had been at a variety of glamorous spots, but last year was the annus austeritious. I contemplated writing up the Radisson Edwardian Grafton, but was just too depressed by the dark, dingy bar, the tiny rooms, the lack of service and the grungy surroundings of the top of Tottenham Court Road. As the economy creeps back to normal, we return to settings more appropriate to our customers and their importance. Bring on the Langham.

This is one of the grand old dames of Victorian London, a bastion of polite society since its opening in 1865. A haven of serenity within a stone's throw of Oxford Circus, it's always been a luxurious place for ladies who shop to stop for a respite. In fact, they claim to have given birth to the tradition of afternoon tea in their Palm Court. Unlikely, as the Duchess of Bedford is generally credited with the ides, but you have to give these marketing types some leeway. Whatever the detail, it's a place with a rich history that's recently been given an £80 million renovation, making the grand dame quite sprightly and sexy, too.

The look downstairs mixes the grand Victorian classical architecture with modern design and a touch of art deco. The Palm court is bright with beveled mirrors, updated with modern art and interesting lighting. The bar is darker, with a wonderful Chinese theme, while the main restaurant (keep reading for more on that) is traditionally English equestrian, matching its name of "The Landau".

Upstairs, I was treated to the single most comfortable bed I have ever encountered. Some hotels go in for exceptionally high thread count sheets, others huge down pillows with just the right balance of structure and softness. This had both, underpinned by an almost obscenely thick and plush mattress. I could have stayed there forever, though that would have prevented me from enjoying the unusual tub (figure 8 shaped, with one circle bigger than the other) in a classically elegant bathroom fitted out with mahogany, chrome, marble and glass, or the oversized arm chair with the gorgeous upholstery. Yes, the renovation has modernised things, but not too much. Oscar Wilde would, I think, still be comfortable here.

The Langham also benefits from a great restaurant in The Landau. I remember a time when hotel restaurants and fine dining did not go hand in hand. The food would be good, but it was usually traditional, unexceptional fare for the convenience of the residents. No longer. More and more frequently, famous chefs are taking over these magnificent old hotel dining rooms and making them destinations in their own right. Today's Landau was the creation of celebrity chef Andrew Turner, and though he's moved on, the place still delivers to "Master Chef" standards. (Indeed, it's been the host kitchen and dining room for past episodes.)

The menu fits into that "modern European" category, meaning mostly French, mostly gourmet, with a few surprising twists. While it doesn't have a Michelin star, it's certainly priced as if it did, with starters averaging £15, mains around £30 and sweets at £8. You can find slightly better value for money in this category (keep reading), but you do occasionally see the Landau with 50 per cent off deals on Top Table. If you see one of those, book quickly!

I started with pan fried foie gras with roasted peaches. An unexpected but pleasant combination. The pleasant flavour combinations continued though my main, a perfectly cooked fresh pigeon (very hard to do, as they dry out so quickly) in an unctuous red wine sauce. Too substantial a meal for desserts, but the Landau won points with me by bringing a generous plate of sweets with the coffee. Jelly, praline, chocolate ... just a mouthful of each, and enough to let me leave without feeling deprived of my sugar fix.

Interestingly, my favourite restaurant in London is also attached to a hotel: Locanda Locatelli in the Hyatt Regency. It was here, when business was done, I went on my own time and my own money to celebrate with friends, and it's here that I can attest the prices are slightly lower, and the food even better, than the Landau. With a Michelin star thrown in to validate my opinion.

I've written about Locatelli's place multiple times on this blog and it never fails to impress. No exception here. I started with chestnut tagliatelle with wild mushrooms, a classic autumnal dish. I did steal a bite of the evening's special off my friend's plate, however: spaghetti with bottarga. That's dried fish roe, common in Italian and Sardinian food, grated and incorporated through the pasta. It's an extremely pungent taste. If you like anchovies, you'll love it. If not, best not to venture towards this extreme.

How good was my main course? The first thing I did when I got home was to pull out Locatelli's cookbook to see if the recipe was there, and almost cried with joy when I found it. Sea bass with a tomato crust and Vernaccia wine sauce served on a pillow of artichoke puree; some of my favourite things all on one plate. I love artichokes in any way, but this puree was exceptional. I will be trying hard to duplicate this, I can tell. Moving on to dessert, I'm not sure desire and patience will combine enough to see me creating white chocolate soup with passion fruit and pistachio ice cream at home. But you never know. It was both delicious and a beautiful presentation. The winner in the table's dessert stakes, however, was Hillary's Italian cheese platter, which came with a clock-face style arrangement of honey pots to match. One honey with each cheese, the duos going from mild to extreme.

Add to this a handsome and charmingly flirtatious young waiter from Rome, a sommelier who steered us towards and unusually bold white with a slight sparkle on the tongue that worked with everyone's meal, the company of some of your best friends and discussion about travel (Hillary's recent China trip described, the NU girls' next venture to France planned) and you get a perfect evening.