The Gold List 2020 Best International Hotel — Eastern & Oriental Hotel

Established by the famed Sarkies brothers in 1885, the Eastern & Oriental Hotel is the only seafront hotel in the George Town UNESCO World Heritage Site. Over its 135-year history, the E&O Hotel has played host to the world’s most celebrated artists, writers and heads of state.

With the recently relaunched Heritage Wing at the end of 2019, the E&O is poised to reprise its role as a leading destination for timeless hospitality. Guests of the newly refurbished suites can enjoy the luxury of travelling back through time with pre-arrival services, personalized services on arrival for in suite check-in and modern comforts in keeping with the classic style of the Penang icon.

Guests are also entitled to exclusive privileges such as access to The Cornwallis - a private lounge offering breakfast and complimentary evening canapes and cocktails, the Heritage Wing pool as well as an in-suite decanters with premium selected beverages and snacks that will be replenished daily.

As one of the few historical hotels around the globe, the management has placed great emphasis to preserve elements of the hotel’s 135-year old history such as the iconic Java tree, the manual lift, the dome and cannons.

The Hotel’s food and beverage outlets – Palm Court, Java Tree, Sarkies and Planters Lounge have a celebrated reputation for serving an extensive menu ranging from Penang’s heritage dishes to a traditional English afternoon tea and Sunday roast, whilst Farquhar’s Bar is the place to be for time-honoured bar staples. For larger formal celebrations, the E&O’s stately Grand Ballroom honour the era of debutante’s balls and black-tie dinner dances.

To accommodate the increase demand of guests, back in 2013, the E&O has unveiled its 15-storey Victory Annexe with 132 quintessentially appointed sea-fronting suites, complemented by restaurants, meeting rooms, an infinity swimming pool and spa. Niche retail outlets were also introduced to further enhance the experience of guests.

Within the Victory Annexe retail arcade nested the E&O Gallery where many stories of guests has been documented. This specially curated museum relates the story of Penang’s social and cultural milestones as seen through the eyes of the E&O and its patrons.

Today, the luxurious all-suite E&O stands as the grande dame of heritage hotels, its arches and facades form natural frames for the longest and most splendid seafront sweep of lawn ever to greet the Andaman Sea. With cannons from the original Fort Cornwallis, Penang’s historical icon has stayed picture perfect since 1885.

Eastern & Oriental Hotel

Add: 10 Lebuh Farquhar, 10200 Penang, Malaysia

Web: https://www.eohotels.com/