Eastern & Oriental Hotel, Penang

The hotel has a long history. We stayed in the "historical" building. The price is more expensive than the other newly built building. However, as I posted in the last photo, the historic building also led to the dirty floor and small white transparent bugs everywhere, especially in the bathroom. The breakfast environment is good and it is semi-self-service. The hotel room is suitable for taking pictures, but it is more like a wedding photo studio where you can stay. You can leave beautiful photos, but the accommodation environment is experienceable. There are inevitable small bugs in wooden and old buildings, so there are advantages and disadvantages. In general, you need to accept small flaws to feel history. The front desk staff is very enthusiastic, but the concierge is generally indifferent, and the room service is also poor. Although there are free drinks in the minibar, there are no staff from the housekeeping department to the lobby to provide a few notes in the whole hotel. Summary: If you have the conditions, you can come and experience it once, but if you say it may be difficult to stay again, maybe you can try the newer building next time. But for friends who love the sense of history and the feeling of the old times, you will definitely like it.

Our fourth thoroughly enjoyable 3 weeks stay at the E&O hotel in the Victory annex. Beautiful refurbished room kept spotlessly clean, plenty of space, lovely large bathroom, huge walk in shower. Fridge kept toped up with complementary drinks and there are tea and coffee making facilities. The hotel has a large buffet restaurant, very popular at breakfast, lunch and dinner, together with other dining areas.  We favour the Planters Lounge for breakfast, snacks  and for generally relaxing in.  These are the staff that we had daily interaction with and we couldn't have been better looked after by them. What is superb team they are, all highly motivated and we've noticed several of the staff have worked at the E&O a long time which to me is a very good indication of good management. There is a lovely pool area where you can sit in the shade on very comfortable sun loungers, and it's all very well maintained with refreshments available if you want them. Sitting on the balcony of our room and enjoying the views across the straits of Malacca along with a cup of tea or coffee is something we very much enjoy. The location of the hotel is perfect. You have the sea on one side and on the other side you can walk into Georgetown and enjoy the historic buildings both British and Chinese, the large aray of shops and the huge amount of restaurants and cafes. Alternatively there is an easy walk along the esplanade where you can enjoy the views of the sea and maybe a cruise ship which has arrived. This leads to Fort Cornwallis and a pleasant walk through a green park back to the hotel. We enjoyed eating the Christmas eve buffet in the Planters Lounge which was superb and a traditional Christmas Day dinner in the Java Tree restaurant which was also superb. Hospitality at it's very best. ||

We went as a family party of 10 on the recommendation of another family member. From the moment I walked into the hotel, the old world charm was captivating. The whole architecture of the hotel eludes to the warm atmosphere of the hotel and the rooms are twice the size of a normal hotel room. All the staff were very efficient and went out of the way to make us welcome and comfortable. No sooner had I rung Reception for extra hangers, then a few minutes later they were delivered. Soft drinks in mini bar were all complimentary. Breakfast each day was amazing with so many choices my head was spinning. Walking through the hotel is a calming experience, and the sea views added to that calm. I love this hotel, and would not hesitate to stay here again.

This hotel is incredible. We stayed as a family with our 5 children over New Year 2024-2025. The hotel is extremely good value and includes a delicious breakfast with amazing variety, as well as drinks and canapes between 6pm and 7pm every evening. We stayed in the Heritage Wing, and the rooms are enormous, with vast bathrooms. The Heritage Wing swimming pool is beautiful with wonderful views across the sea, and there is also a rooftop swimming pool in the Victory Wing which is equally impressive. The service is immaculate, and the staff very friendly and helpful. The hotel is a short stroll away from George Town which is a buzzing and fascinating town to wander around, with a huge range of restaurants, bars and street food. I highly recommend this hotel and George Town. We would love to come back one day.

I don't like pretentiousness and I was fearing it when we booked, but it is just a warm and very friendly hotel with great staff who are attentive but also very approachable. The building exudes charm and style even though it obviously need a lot more tlc than younger buildings. Reception and concierge were very helpful, the main breakfast dining areas are very good and the pool area on the 6th floor is lovely, although space is limited. Our Room was excellent, lovely bed, excellent cleaning, big bath/shower and a balcony. Slight Niggle, balcony chairs are not comfortable. We were there during Chinese NY so it was very busy but staff were great throughout. Memorable.

A beautiful stay. I spent only one night here, in the heritage wing. My room was spacious, with a big window overlooking the swimming and the sea. The view was priceless. The decor was quaint, with high ceilings and a ceiling fan in the sitting area. The bathroom was huge. They had turn-down serve in the evening. Everyone was nice, in a relaxed way. Loved the location, as it's within walking distance to several colonial-era landmarks, including the Cornwallis Fort. I've stayed at several colonial-era hotels in Southeast Asia, and E&O is one of the most charming.

What a stunningly mesmerising hotel! Rooms were simply gorgeous in every sense with the best shower. Staff went above and beyond to attend to our needs. Delicious selection of food and surrounding landscapes were so beautiful. Great location with so much to offer, very safe with lots to see and do. Only slight criticism I have is that facilities in the heritage building should be available to guest staying on the other side. Placing such restrictions is off putting however, thank you so much for such an amazing stay!

It was really special to stay at this hotel. We stayed in the Heritage Wing, which I would recommend. The architecture and atmosphere is very beautiful. The staff were always very accommodating. The breakfast buffet leaves nothing to be desired. There are just two things I would criticize: there were not enough loungers by the pool for the size of the hotel and some of the rooms look out onto the street with a gas station, making it sometimes quit loud in the rooms. Besides that, we would definitely come back.