Sarkies Brothers
The Sarkies brothers | |
---|---|
Hoteliers | |
Years active | 1884-1931 |
Known for | Founding the Raffles Hotel, Eastern & Oriental Hotel and the Strand Hotel. |
The Sarkies Brothers, Martin (1852–1912), Tigran (1861–1912), Aviet (1862–1923), and Arshak (1868–1931), were a group of brothers of Armenian ethnicity best known for founding a chain of luxury hotels throughout Southeast Asia. The brothers were born in Isfahan, Iran.[1]
History
The 23-year-old Tigran opened the
Arshak, the last of the brothers, died on January 9, 1931. On June 10 of the same year, a bankruptcy case was filed against the Raffles Hotel, eventually resulting in the Sarkies family losing control of their hotels.[3]
The Sarkies name still lives on in Singapore through the namesake Sarkies Road. However, the road was named after Regina Sarkies (née Carapiet), the wife of Arathoon Sarkies, who was a cousin of the brothers and fellow hotelier.[4][5] In addition, Sarkies Corner, the coffee shop in the Eastern & Oriental Hotel, is named after the brothers. Arathoon's descendants continue to reside in Singapore.[5]
Hotels
In chronological order, the hotels founded or run by the brothers were:[6]
- 1884: Eastern Hotel, George Town, Penang, Malaysia.
- 1885: Oriental Hotel, George Town, Penang, Malaysia. Previously the Hotel de l’Europe.[1]
- 1887: Raffles Hotel, Singapore.
- 1889: Eastern & Oriental Hotel formed as a result of the renaming of the Oriental Hotel, and the selling of the Eastern Hotel.
- 1901: Burma(Myanmar). Sold by the brothers in 1925.
- 1905: Crag Hotel, Penang Hill, Malaysia.[7][8] Sold to Federated Malay States Railways in 1925, abandoned in 1954.
- 1923: Sea View Hotel, Singapore,[9] originally built in 1906 and operated by the Sarkies Brothers under lease until 1931. Closed in 1964, with original building demolished shortly thereafter.
In addition,
See also
References
- ^ a b The History of Armenians in Singapore and Malaysia. Amassia.com.au. Retrieved on 2011-10-23.
- ^ "The History of Armenians in Singapore and Malaysia". Archived from the original on 2003-08-03.
- ^ Augustin, Andreas. "Bond of Brothers". famoushotels.org. The Most Famous Hotels in the World. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
- ^ Wright, Nadia H. (2003). Respected citizens: the history of Armenians in Singapore and Malaysia. Amassia Publishing.
- ^ a b "Proud of the legendary Sarkies name". The Straits Times. September 17, 2015.
- ^ Sarkies Brothers. Famous Hotels. Retrieved on 2011-10-23.
- ^ The Straits Times, 28 July 1905, Page 6 NL300
- ^ Chong, Debra. (2010-05-26) Main – Malaysia – Penang opens tender to restore Crag Hotel @ Wed May 26 2010. Themalaysianinsider.com. Retrieved on 2011-10-23.
- ^ Old Sea View Hotel. eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved on 2011-10-23.
- ^ Kartika Wijaya Hotel Archived 2008-02-26 at the Wayback Machine. Kartikawijaya.com. Retrieved on 2011-10-23.
- ^ July « Preservation Of Monuments Board. Saecomm.com. Retrieved on 2011-10-23.
- ^ "The History | Hotel Majapahit".
- ^ A. Mirzaian, Armenians in Australia and New Zealand.216
- ^ Hotel Majapahit Archived 2011-07-12 at the Wayback Machine. Hotel Majapahit (1945-11-10). Retrieved on 2011-10-23.