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 around 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 is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

. The brothers were born in

Isfahan Isfahan or Esfahan ( ) is a city in the Central District (Isfahan County), Central District of Isfahan County, Isfahan province, Iran. It is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located south of Tehran. The city ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

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

History

The 23-year-old Tigran opened the Eastern Hotel (now Eastern & Oriental Hotel) in George Town,

Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...

on 15 April 1884. The brothers went on to found several hotels in the region, including the

Raffles Hotel Raffles Singapore is a historic luxury hotel at 1 Beach Road, 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 mod ...

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, 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 Sarkies, two of the Sarkies Brothers. The hotel, which opened in 1901, which faces the Yangon River to its south, is ...

Rangoon Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...

(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 George Town is the capital of the States and federal territories of Malaysia, Malaysian state of Penang. It is the core city of the George Town Conurbation, Malaysia's List of cities and towns in Malaysia by population#Largest metropolitan are ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

. * 1885: Oriental Hotel,

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

. * 1889:

Eastern & Oriental Hotel The Eastern & Oriental Hotel (stylised 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 accommoda ...

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

(Yangon),

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

(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 west of the centre of George Town, Penang, George Town. Penang Hill is also known by the Malay language, Malay name ''Bukit Ben ...

, Malaysia. Sold to Federated Malay States Railways 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 Batu may refer to: Geography *Batu City, a city in East Java, Indonesia *Batu Islands, an archipelago of Indonesia * Batu, Iran, a village in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran * Batu, Kuala Lumpur, an area in Malaysia *Batu (town), Ethiopia * Batu ...

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

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 Surabaya is the capital city of East Java Provinces of Indonesia, province and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. Located on the northeastern corner of Java island, on the Madura Strai ...

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

The History of Armenians in Singapore and Malaysia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarkies Brothers Hoteliers Businesspeople from Isfahan Armenian families Armenian businesspeople Persian Armenians Armenian diaspora

History

Hotels

See also

References

External links