Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / Malaysia / George Town / Eastern & Oriental Hotel
Eastern & Oriental Hotel
George Town, Penang, Malaysia · Independent · Core Luxury
The Eastern & Oriental Hotel in George Town, Penang, was born of two houses the Armenian Sarkies brothers opened before Raffles Singapore: the Eastern in 1884 and the Oriental in 1885, later combined as the E&O. The Heritage Wing keeps butler service and clawfoot tubs looking at the Andaman Sea, the imperial seafront rooms of the 1929 rebuild, apart from the later Planters Wing.
- Opened 1885
- Neighborhood: George Town heritage core
About Eastern & Oriental Hotel
- The Sarkies brothers opened the Eastern in 1884 and the Oriental in 1885, combining them as the E&O before Raffles Singapore opened in 1887.
- The grand seafront structure, with its domed lobby, dates to a 1929 rebuild then billed as the longest hotel seafront in the East.
- Heritage Wing suites keep private butler service and standalone clawfoot tubs overlooking the Andaman Sea.
- The later Planters Wing is a separate, more contemporary annex; the Sarkies-era glamour sits in the Heritage Wing.
History
The Eastern & Oriental Hotel in George Town, Penang, was born of two properties opened by the Armenian Sarkies brothers, the same hoteliers behind Raffles in Singapore: the Eastern Hotel opened in 1884 and the Oriental in 1885, and the two were combined under the Eastern & Oriental name, with 1885 taken as its founding.
The hotel's grand seafront structure, with its distinctive domed lobby and Victorian and Edwardian detailing, dates to a rebuilding completed in 1929, giving the E&O what was then reputedly the longest hotel seafront in the East. A colonial landmark that has hosted writers and dignitaries for well over a century, it remains one of Southeast Asia's most storied heritage hotels.
The setting
13-minute walk to Fort Cornwallis.
Restaurants and bars
- Farquhar's Bar — Bar · Bar
- Planters Lounge — Restaurant · Continental
Experiences
- Annual Christmas Tree Lighting — An annual festive tree lighting held at the hotel each December, reported in releases from 2016 to 2025.
Amenities
- Spa
- Infinity pool
- Sauna
- Steam room
- Hot tub
- Fitness center
- Yoga
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