Penang Boutique Hotels

[HIDDEN]

UNESCO World Heritage Site status gives Penang’s heritage houses a boast.  More and more old colonial houses are now converted into boutique hotels and guesthouses .  Here are some :

1)   Clove Hall Hotel
http://clovehall.com/index.html

2)   Mango Tree Place
http://www.penangpassion.com/article.aspx?secid=15&catid=48&artid=290

3)   Cheong Fatt Tza Mansion
http://cheongfatttzemansion.com/


Few more coming in next few years are :

Rice Miller Hotel in Weld Quay

Royale Bintang in Weld Quay

[HIDDEN]

I believe the licence for the 1926 hotel is up for renewal soon by the state gov., and they want fresh blood!, it has a good location and prime for new ideas. I wonder, would a foreigner be allowed to take it over?. Regards Rob

[HIDDEN]

hi,

I remember visiting the 1926 hotel  just a few days after it had opened. Freshly polished and varnished wooden floors and clean, simply furnished rooms. It looked like it had potential and I made a note to stay there next time I visited Penang.

Of course time flies. So last year I go back to Penang and the hotel. Run down and messy. I gave it a miss. Maybe it does need new management.

If you're interested Rob, I'd go check with the authorities in charge. What's allowed often gets moderated by what's on offer.

[HIDDEN]

Hotel 1926 was so run down until a yr ago some interim management took over. It's looking more like a motel than a hotel and it needs some one with a vision to turn it around.

BB

[HIDDEN]

It's such a shame for Hotel 1926.  Is it under management of Penang Development Corporation (PDC)?

[HIDDEN]

Another new heritage boutique hotel on Clarke Street, Hutton Lane and Transfer Road to be ready by Christmas this year.

http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2010/3/5/north/5788149&sec=North

[HIDDEN]

One more heritage hotel coming up soon.  This time is on Rope Walk, off Campbell Street.

http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2010/3/22/north/5898708&sec=north

[HIDDEN]

hi,

Renovating the 3 shophouse buildings along Jalan Pintal Tali into a hotel is great. They look in a pretty dilapidated state. The wooden entrance screen is marvellous, even more marvellous that it's still there.

I think that the buildings along Lebuh Clarke are a knockout - the photo shot of the 5 foot way being very similar in feel and appearance to parts of the Raffles Hotel complex in Singapore. I'll look forward to staying there one day (Lebuh Clarke that is, not Raffles).

I read that Najib is asking hoteliers to put up their prices. What a killjoy. He's been listening to Yen Yen too much. Keep it all reasonable and you'll keep it busy, and busy means business. And politicians are hopeless at business.

Maybe the UNESCO Heritage Award is begining to work wonders? Let's hope so.

[HIDDEN]

Yes, it must be a crazy idea to increase the hotel rates which could end up chasing tourists away.

Talking about the Heritage Hotel on Clarke Street, I came across few weeks ago the website of the architect doing this project and they put up some photos showing how the refurbishment work taking place.  I find it to be very interesting.  Here is the link.

http://www.rimbundahan.org/architecture/penang/index.htm
 

[HIDDEN]

hi,

Many thanks for the link. I read the article and an interesting bit of information was : " . . .  working on the name of the hotel, Tanjong Penaga, the old Malay name for George Town that was named for a tree that was common there".

[HIDDEN]

Just discovered another heritage masterpiece on Armenian Street and Stewart Lane in George Town.  It's called Straits Collection which is a restoration of pre-war houses into boutique hotel, cafe, shop and public reading corner.  The good news is it has been completed and open to public, so you do not need to wait long to see it yourself.  I was absolutely overhelmed by how beautiful the houses have been restored. 

Basically, the room nos 47A, 47B, 49A, 49B, 51A, 51B are lcoated at Stewart Lane and room nos 89, 91, 93, 95 are at Armenian Street.  Just click the room number on the website and you will be able to see the interior of the room which is different from one to another.  The "Kopi Cine" cafe serves cocktail and open daily.  Both shops - Bon Ton The Shop and China Joe's Tea Salon sell Malaysian batik, clothes, souvenirs, Chinese porcelain etc.  The Reading Room is another urban oasis. 

Let's explore these beautiful houses :

http://www.straitscollection.com/index.htm

[HIDDEN]

hi, costa,

Great link. The buildings look great. It's going to be another place to visit on my planned Penang trip sometime this year. I hadn't appreciated before that so many of the older colonial buildings had been restored.

And the site is good. I like the approach of being able to view all of the rooms individually. The Bon Ton resort on Langkawi also looks good.

[HIDDEN]

Just had a tour today of numbers 91 & 93 Armenian St., thanks to the lady in China Joes, a very nice, sympathetic  restoration project, and both houses are available to rent by the day, in number 91 the air well has been turned into a twin! shower,  fun & games anyone? .
This type of house is gorgeous and I believe its still posible to pick an old house in Georgetown for less than half a million RM?., must be a good buy.
Its good to see the old houses being restored, keep up the good work. Regards Rob

[HIDDEN]

its still posible to pick an old house in Georgetown for less than half a million RM?., must be a good buy.

Restored or unrestored for the price of half a mil RM?

Cupert

[HIDDEN]

Unrestored.