Eastern & Oriental Hotel

Facilities: The hotel has complete facilities, everything you need is there. Hygiene: The hygiene is good, no obvious oversights. Environment: Facing the Strait of Malacca. Service: They helped with our luggage. As an antique hotel, its value for money is truly excellent. You can stay for just over 1000 [currency unit]. Online, the Heritage Wing is more recommended, but because of its age, we chose the newer Victory Annexe. Before checking in, I saw some online reviews and was a bit worried, but after experiencing it firsthand, I found it to be quite good. First, upon arrival, the staff at the entrance were very attentive. When our car pulled up, they helped with our luggage, and the luggage was even delivered to our room. When checking in, there was a Chinese-speaking person at the front desk, but it seemed most could only speak English. However, simple English was fine, and they also used gestures, making the process very smooth. The room assignment was also quick. After checking in, the hotel balcony faced the sea. This hotel is quite popular, with all kinds of nationalities, but there was no obvious favoritism towards Caucasians or discrimination against Chinese. Perhaps because I'm someone with strong boundaries, every staff member I encountered smiled and nodded in greeting, which even made me feel a bit shy; there was no coldness. The hotel's location is excellent, very close to the Blue Mansion. You can go for a city walk when you step out – still highly recommended!

Everything about this hotel was great. We ended up having the happy hour as our dinner, and the breakfast at the Heritage Wing, which was semi-buffet, was just okay – the buffet selection was quite limited.

I booked both the Victory and the Heritage. The Victory's facilities are slightly newer, but the Heritage has a better vibe; there's really no comparison. The Victory also has a very mixed crowd, and the cleanliness wasn't great – one of the bedsheets was super dirty. Overall, it's not a high-tier hotel. If you don't mind strange noises, stay at the Heritage instead. The decor and taste aren't even on the same level. The Victory's pool is also very average, and so is the breakfast. I didn't even go to the Heritage, so coming to this hotel was a waste of time.

Stayed in the heritage wing. The swimming pool was definitely the biggest highlight; you need a room card from the heritage wing to access both the pool and afternoon tea. However, I didn't sleep a wink all night, there was constant noise.

Really enjoyed the hotel's happy hour in the afternoon; the atmosphere was great, and the snacks were even better than at breakfast! The pool was much smaller and more crowded than I expected, which was a bit of a surprise. However, the view from the room window was absolutely perfect for photos! It was also very thoughtful that they offered a take-away breakfast option for early flights. If you're interested in the hotel's history or browsing shops, the Victory Wing is where it's at; the boutiques there are quite nice. Overall, a two-night stay was definitely enough to experience everything. P.S. Don't worry, it's completely normal for there to be no rooms facing the corridor!

I wonder how many people, like me, were drawn in by the allure of a 'century-old heritage hotel' with its refined old-money charm. I originally planned to stay for two nights, but it so happened that during Penang's bustling New Year temple fair, one night was fully booked. So, I ended up spending one night at Ascott and one night at the Eastern & Oriental Hotel (E&O). Initially, I felt a bit disappointed, but after checking in, I regretted not booking both nights at Ascott instead. Firstly, there seems to be a blatant discrimination against Asians. When we arrived in Penang from Kuala Lumpur, the bellhops at our KL hotel were always very proactive in opening doors and helping with luggage whenever we took a Grab. However, the two 'Ah Sam' (a derogatory term for South Asians, implying ignorance or indifference) at the E&O seemed completely oblivious. Despite clearly seeing our car and luggage, they just stood there doing nothing. After looking at past guest reviews, I believe this is definitely not an isolated incident. The check-in process was similar. Although the hotel doesn't have many floors, we arrived early at around 10 am to store our luggage. I'm sure there weren't many other guests checking into the same room type at that time. Yet, they insisted on giving us a room on the first floor, seemingly preferring to give rooms on the second and third floors to Caucasians. The staff's attitude during check-in was very cold and unfriendly, completely out of sync with the hotel's supposed standing. Secondly, we stayed in a George Suite in the Heritage Wing. Honestly, be very cautious when choosing this room type. All rooms of this type face the main road, meaning you'll enjoy endless motorbike noise all night. We're not usually particularly sensitive to noise, but even we were quite bothered by it (as this road is quite busy). The room rates at this hotel are definitely among the top in Penang. Is it really too much to ask for better soundproof windows? It's baffling that they'd rather have so many guests constantly affected by noise. I truly can't understand it. Lastly, don't be fooled by the seemingly large 70-square-meter room. Perhaps over 30 square meters of that is taken up by the bathroom, and it's designed in an excessively 'foolishly oversized' way. The double vanity sinks are on opposite sides, with a bathtub right in the middle, while the shower is awkwardly tucked into a tiny corner. The central area is so vast you could probably throw a disco party in it. While it's an old hotel, surely if it's been renovated, the layout could have been updated to be more practical? And get this – the white marble checkered floor in the entire bathroom was completely yellowed! Germaphobes and those with an eye for detail should definitely think twice. Oh, and perhaps because it's genuinely too old, strange insects kept appearing on the vanity! It's just ridiculous. The bathroom door also wouldn't close properly, and there were even leftover fake eyelashes from a previous guest stuck to it… The only genuinely commendable aspects were the hotel's century-old charm, still evident in what looked like a renovated railing used as a table, and the morning newspaper delivery service for guests, which did add a touch of ceremonial experience. In conclusion, this is a hotel that fails to live up to its reputation, a classic case of 'gilded exterior, rotten interior.' The highly-touted 'delicious' char kway teow at the Heritage Wing was actually inferior to the one at Hua Yang Kopitiam. I will not choose this hotel again.