Eastern & Oriental Hotel

What it is

The E&O began as two hotels. The Sarkies Brothers opened the Eastern in 1884 and the Oriental in 1885, merged them in 1889 and kept expanding until the present complex was finished in 1929. The same family built Raffles Hotel in Singapore in 1887 and the Strand in Rangoon in 1901, so it belongs to a small group of colonial-era grand hotels of Southeast Asia.

After the Second World War it declined. A major reconstruction closed it in 1996, and it reopened in 2001. The front Heritage Wing was restored, the rest was rebuilt or refurbished, and a central wing with faux cast-iron verandahs was added. In 2013 a 132-room tower replaced the old Victory Annexe.

Old wing, new tower

The distinction that matters when you book is between the restored Heritage Wing and the newer tower. The first is the older building and the reason most people choose the hotel; the second is a modern block with more rooms. The pages we read do not give the total room count or the room categories, so ask which building a quoted room is in before you accept it.

The rate in our Penang itinerary, US$207 a night, is the figure listed for a standard room. Premier rooms on the same listing reach US$404, and the gap between categories is larger than the gap between seasons.

Where it sits

The hotel faces the sea at the edge of George Town's heritage district, which UNESCO inscribed in 2008. From here the shophouses, clan houses and street-food stalls of the old town are within a short drive or a long walk, and the hotel is a convenient base for a few days of unhurried sightseeing.

Who it suits

It suits travellers who want a hotel with a past, set apart from the busiest streets, for two to four nights. It is a good match for couples and for anyone who will spend the day in the old town and return to a quiet verandah.

It is less suited to travellers who want a boutique-sized hotel or a beach resort. This is a city hotel facing the Penang Strait, and its pages we read do not describe a beach.