Asia’s Grand Old Hotels: Six That Have Outlasted Their Century

The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 brought a new kind of traveller to Asia: the passenger on a steamship line, with trunks, time and money. Hotels were built at each port of call to receive them. Most have gone. A few have survived war, neglect and redevelopment, and are today among the most sought-after places to stay on the continent. These are six of the best, from west to east.

Galle Face Hotel, Colombo (1864)

The oldest of them stands at the southern end of Galle Face Green, the seafront lawn of Colombo, with the Indian Ocean breaking against its terrace. It was founded in 1864 by four British businessmen, and the main building dates from 1894. It has 156 rooms and is the only hotel in the city directly on the sea. It was restored between 2013 and 2015. The flag is lowered each evening at sunset to the sound of a bagpiper, and guests gather on the checkerboard terrace to watch. It is the least expensive hotel on this list.

The Oriental, Bangkok (1876)

Now Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok, the hotel on the Chao Phraya dates its founding to 1876, and its oldest building, the Authors’ Wing, to 1887. Most of its rooms are in two later towers. What makes it exceptional is service, and the life of the river at its door. Our history of the hotel tells the story.

Eastern & Oriental Hotel, Penang (1885)

The E&O was founded in George Town in 1885 by the Sarkies brothers, Armenians from Persia who built a chain of hotels across the region. It closed in 1996, was rebuilt, and reopened in 2001. The original Heritage Wing, all suites, faces a long lawn and a sea wall lined with old cannon. A modern annexe with 132 rooms was added in 2013. It is the place to stay for the old town of George Town, a World Heritage site, which begins at its gate.

Raffles, Singapore (1887)

The most famous work of the Sarkies brothers opened in 1887 in a bungalow on Beach Road and grew into the white, verandahed building of today. The Singapore Sling was invented in its Long Bar around 1915 by the barman Ngiam Tong Boon. It was declared a national monument in 1987 and has been restored twice, from 1989 to 1991, when all its rooms became suites, and from 2017 to 2019; our report on the reopening describes the result. It has 115 suites, each with a sitting room and a veranda, around courtyards of palms. Of all these hotels it is the most completely preserved and the most expensive.

Metropole, Hanoi (1901)

The Sofitel Legend Metropole was the leading hotel of French Indochina. Its Heritage Wing, restored in 2024, keeps the creaking wooden floors, and a wartime air-raid shelter under the garden can be visited. See our history of the Metropole.

The Peninsula, Hong Kong (1928)

The youngest of the six was built in Kowloon for passengers arriving by liner and by rail from Europe. The Peninsula has the grandest lobby, a fleet of green Rolls-Royces and a tower added in 1994 with a helipad on its roof. It is the most polished and the most urban. Our history of the hotel has more.

How to choose

For atmosphere alone, Raffles and the Metropole give the strongest sense of the past. For service, the Oriental and the Peninsula are in a class of their own. For value, and for a sea view, the Galle Face and the E&O.

In every case, ask for the old building. Several of these hotels have modern wings where the rooms are comfortable and the history is absent. The original wings have higher ceilings, verandas and, usually, a higher price. It is also possible to enjoy the hotels without staying. Each serves afternoon tea in its historic lounge and has a bar with a story attached.

A later generation of landmark hotels is covered in our accounts of Hotel Indonesia in Jakarta, The Okura Tokyo and Amanpuri, the Phuket resort that began the modern era.