About the E & O
The Eastern & Oriental Hotel along Farquhar Street, George Town, is one of the most elegant hotels in the Orient. Often called the E & O, it was the first of a chain of hotels founded by the four Armenian brothers, Martin, Tigran, Aviet and Arshak Sarkies, collectively known as the Sarkies brothers. Some of the best known hotels in the Far East were started by them, including the Raffles Hotel in Singapore and the Strand, in Rangoon, Myanmar. By 1892, the brothers were spread across Southeast Asia. The youngest, Arshak Sarkies, took up the management of the E & O while Tigran Sarkies manages the Raffles Hotel and Aviet was stationed in Rangoon. The eldest, Martin Sarkies, has by then retired.
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History of the E & O Hotel
The idea to set up the hotel business came about in 1885 when the Sarkies brothers met the Khaw family in Bangkok, and was encouraged by them to set up a hotel in Penang. The Khaws built two separate hotels which the Sarkies managed. These were the Eastern Hotel, completed in 1884, and the Oriental Hotel, in 1885. It became immediately apparent that these two hotels should be combined, and hence the Eastern & Oriental Hotel was formed. In addition, the Sarkies also managed the Crag Hotel on Penang Hill.
The merger of these two hotels created one of the finest hotel establishments in the region. It boasted of having the world's longest sea-front lawn, which is 842 feet in length. Famous personalities who arrived at the E&O (many of whom also turned up at the Raffles Hotel) included Noel Coward, Douglas Fairbanks, Hermann Hesse, Rudyard Kipling and Somerset Maugham.
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What I like about this hotel
If you love George Town's heritage, you are in the thick of it at E & O. The hotel itself is a heritage building, and it is also surrounded by numerous heritage sites, such as the Protestant Cemetery, the Penang Museum, Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, to mention a few.
Slippery Senorita, a pub, is a short walk across the street, if you wish to go for a drink.
What I don't like about this hotel
Well, it is the most expensive hotel in the city. It feels like living in a museum. Also, there aren't any shopping malls nearby. Having said that, if you come to relax luxuriously, the E & O is the place to do it in style.
More Photos of the E & O
Eastern & Oriental Hotel, Farquhar Street, Penang.
View of the sea from the Eastern & Oriental Hotel.
Chooi Yoke and Tim at the Eastern & Oriental Hotel.
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