Discover the Eastern & Oriental (E&O) Hotel in Penang

About the Eastern & Oriental Hotel

The Eastern & Oriental (E&O) Hotel is a hotel with a proud heritage that dates back to the old colonial days when British rule was established over many parts of Malaya. Much of its Old World charm remains today, along with the finest traditions of comfort and service. The property began its colourful history in 1884 as The Eastern. The Oriental was added in 1885 due to the Eastern’s overwhelming popularity. Both hotels were then combined to become the Eastern & Oriental Hotel. It was established by the famed Sarkies Brothers in 1885, whose architectural landmarks also includes the Raffles Hotel in Singapore. Over its 130 years’ history, the hotel has played host to some of the world’s most celebrated artists, writers and heads of state.
 

Today, the E&O Hotel on Penang island is the only hotel in the heart of the George Town UNESCO World Heritage Site that can truly lay claim to having a prime sea frontage, overlooking the Andaman Sea. Standing majestically along Farquhar Street and intersecting with Penang Road, the E&O Hotel is 20 kilometres from Penang International Airport. It is located conveniently near food havens, shopping and entertainment belts of downtown Georgetown, financial district of Beach Street and the surrounding cultural quarters.

The original site of the E&O Hotel, the Heritage Wing, features 100 elegant and expansive suites that have retained its unique colonial charm whilst offering modern comforts with round-the-clock butler service. The hotel is positioned as an exclusive all-suite Grand Hotel, evoking an aura of opulence and glamour from a bygone era, yet coupled with the facilities of present day.
 

The suites are magnificently furnished, extravagantly spacious and come in eight different types, with either city or sea views. Each suite comes with modern day amenities and every guest who stays at the E&O Hotel receives individual attention. The hotel’s round-the-clock butler service guarantees that guests’ personal needs and comfort are a constant focus from the moment they arrive. Personalised attentive service standards with old world charm are the hallmark of the E&O Hotel.

Set amidst lush tropical greenery in a beautifully manicured garden is the swimming pool that faces the sea and the focal point for guests seeking to unwind or to energise the body, mind and spirit. This is also where the oldest "Java" tree, which was planted circa 1885, still stands (only three other smaller trees of its kind exist in Penang today).

In March 2013, E&O Hotel unveiled the Victory Annexe, an extended new wing in the form of a 15-storey building, named after an old block of the hotel that was thus named after the British victory in World War I. The Annexe adds a further 128 classically appointed, sea-fronting suites, complemented by new restaurants, meeting rooms, pool, spa, and retail outlets.

The Hotel’s restaurants and bar—Sarkies, 1885 and Farquhar Bar—have a celebrated reputation for serving an extensive menu ranging from Penang’s local delicacies to European fine dining.

E&O’s stately grand ballroom is perfect for hosting formal banquets, replete with viewing balconies and polished timber floors to honour the era and romance of debutante’s balls and black tie dinner and dancing.
 

The E&O Gallery, sited within the Victory Annexe retail arcade, is a unique project by the Hotel and Think City Sdn. Bhd. to relate the story of Penang’s social and cultural milestones as seen through the eyes of the E&O Hotel and its patrons.

Today, the luxurious 228 all-suite hotel stands as the grand dame of heritage hotels, its distinctive classic elegance and grace of service enhanced with time.