Eastern & Oriental Hotel, George Town

The Eastern & Oriental Hotel, commonly known as the E&O, is one of George Town’s best-known colonial landmarks. Its history began in 1884, when Armenian hoteliers Martin and Tigran Sarkies opened the Eastern Hotel. Following its success, they established the neighbouring Oriental Hotel in 1885, and the two properties were later combined. The Sarkies brothers subsequently became associated with other celebrated Asian hotels, including Raffles in Singapore.

During the age of steamship travel, the E&O attracted wealthy Western travellers, colonial officials, and writers seeking the romance of the East. By the 1920s, it was promoted as a leading hotel east of the Suez Canal, offering such modern comforts as telephones and hot and cold running water. Its distinguished guests included British author Rudyard Kipling, British novelist Somerset Maugham, German-Swiss novelist and poet Hermann Hesse, and English playwright and composer Noël Coward.

Facing the sea at the corner of Farquhar Street and Penang Road, the hotel retains much of its historic character. Its white façade, arched windows, tiled roofs, broad verandas, polished timber interiors, and waterfront gardens recall an era of formal dinners, afternoon tea, and leisurely ocean voyages. If all of that sounds enticing, don't hesitate to enter through the original timber doors. The central lobby brings you beneath the soaring Echo Dome, framed by polished marble floors, original brass fixtures, and archival photographs along the walls.

However, don't stop in the lobby. Walk straight through the lobby past the heritage display until you reach the seafront promenade, where a paved walkway borders the lawn and the magnificent, century-old Java tree overlooking the Malacca Strait.

A major restoration allowed the hotel to reopen in 2001, while the later reopening of its Heritage Wing renewed its emphasis on traditional hospitality. Visitors can dine in the public restaurants or enjoy refreshments overlooking the seafront lawn.