The Sarkies Brothers, Martin (1852–1912), Tigran (1861–1912), Aviet (1862–1923), and Arshak (1868–1931), were a group of brothers of

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

ethnicity best known for founding a chain of luxury

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

s throughout

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

. The brothers were born in Isfahan,

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

.The History of Armenians in Singapore and Malaysia
Amassia.com.au. Retrieved on 2011-10-23.

History

It was 23-year-old Tigran who took the first step into the hotel industry, seeing it as more profitable than his fledgeling auctioneering business. Taking over the lease of a large compound house at 1A Light Street, George Town, Penang, he named it the Eastern Hotel (now Eastern & Oriental Hotel), announcing on 15 April 1884 that the hotel was open to receive boarders. The brothers went on to found several hotels in the region, including the

Raffles Hotel Raffles Hotel is a British colonial-style luxury hotel in Singapore. It was established by Armenian hoteliers, the Sarkies Brothers, in 1887. The hotel was named after British statesman Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern S ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

, and the

Strand Hotel The Strand (also known as Strand Hotel) is a Victorian-style hotel located in Yangon, Myanmar (Burma), built by Aviet and Tigran Sarkie, two of the Sarkies Brothers. The hotel, which opened in 1901, which faces the Yangon River to its south, is ...

in Rangoon (Yangon). 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. 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. 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.

Hotels

File:Raffles Hotel 2012 0076.jpg, File:Eastern & Oriental Hotel Penang Dec 2006 004.jpg, File:Yangon, Strand Hotel, Myanmar, Burma.jpg, File:KITLV - 80044 - Kleingrothe, C.J. - Medan - Government Villa at the Crag Hotel Penang - circa 1910.tif, In chronological order, the hotels founded or run by the brothers were:Sarkies Brothers
Famous Hotels. Retrieved on 2011-10-23. * 1884: Eastern Hotel, George Town, Penang,

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. * 1885: Oriental Hotel, George Town, Penang,

. Previously the ''Hotel de l’Europe''. * 1887:

. * 1889:

Eastern & Oriental Hotel The Eastern & Oriental Hotel (popularly known as ''E&O Hotel'') is a British colonial-style luxury hotel in George Town, Penang, Malaysia that was established in 1885 by the Sarkies Brothers. The sea-fronting hotel is known for its luxurious ac ...

formed as a result of the renaming of the Oriental Hotel, and the selling of the Eastern Hotel. * 1901:

, Rangoon (Yangon),

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

(Myanmar). Sold by the brothers in 1925. * 1905: Crag Hotel,

Penang Hill Penang Hill is a hill resort comprising a group of peaks near the center of Penang Island, Malaysia. It is located within the Air Itam suburb, west of the center of George Town. Penang Hill is also known by the Malay name ''Bukit Bendera'', ...

, Malaysia. Sold to

Federated Malay States Railways The Federated Malay States Railways (FMSR) was a consolidated railway operator in British Malaya (present day Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore) during the first half of the 20th century. Named after the then recently formed Federated Malay ...

in 1925, abandoned in 1954. * 1923: Sea View Hotel, Singapore, 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, Kartika Wijaya (originally ''Jambe Dawe'') in Batu,

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mos ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

was built in 1891 originally as a vacation villa for the Sarkies, and was later turned into a hotel. The brothers' cousin Arathoon Sarkies (1882–1932) also managed the Adelphi Hotel in Singapore from 1903 to 1908, while

Hotel Majapahit The Hotel Majapahit is a historic hotel in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, opened in 1911. The hotel is currently managed by Accor through its MGallery chain. History The hotel was founded in 1910 as the Hotel Oranje by Lucas Martin Sarkies, ...

(as ''Hotel Oranje'') in Surabaya,

was founded in 1910 by Martin's son Lucas Martin Sarkies (1876–1941), which stayed in the hands of their descendants until 1969.Hotel Majapahit
. Hotel Majapahit (1945-11-10). Retrieved on 2011-10-23.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarkies Brothers Hoteliers Businesspeople from Isfahan Armenian families Armenian businesspeople Persian Armenians Armenian diaspora

History

Hotels

See also

References

External links