Strand Hotel

The Strand (also known as Strand Hotel) is a Victorian-style hotel located in Yangon, Myanmar (Burma), built in 1896 by Aviet and Tigran Sarkie, two of the Sarkies Brothers. The hotel, which opened in 1901, which faces the Hlaing — or Yangon — River to its south, is one of the most famous hotels in Yangon, and is managed by the General Hotel Management. The hotel is named after its address, at 92 Strand Road.

History

During the colonial period, The Strand was one of the most luxurious hotels in the British Empire with a clientèle of exclusively Whites. The Sarkies Brothers sold The Strand to Rangoon restaurateur Peter Bugalar Aratoon and Ae Amovsie in 1925. In 1941, during World War II, following Japanese occupation of Burma, the hotel was used to quarter Japanese troops. The following year, the Strand's ownership was transferred to the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. For the first time in 1945, since the Strand's establishment, the Burmese became part of the hotel's clientèle. After Burma achieved independence in 1948, the hotel was neglected by post-colonial governments. In 1962, Strand Hotel was bought by the Burma Economic Development Corporation, which poorly maintained the hotel. After the 1988 coup d'état, the Strand was sold in 1989 to Bernard Pe Win, a Burmese businessman, who formed an alliance with Adrian Zecha and a group of investors who formed the Strand Hotel International. It has since been renovated extensively, and is now owned and operated by General Hotel Management.

The Strand reopened in 1995 as an all-suite, top-of-the range boutique hotel. Its teak and marble floors, mahogany furniture, and canopied beds complement original pieces, like period bathroom fixtures. But unlike the other grand old hotels in the region, the Strand's restoration remained true to its architectural past, and it has no new wing, and no swimming pool or tennis courts. [cite news | url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/09/11/asia/AS-FEA-Myanmar-Historic-Hotel.php | title=Myanmar's colonial-era Strand Hotel well preserved | author=Asoociated Press | publisher=International Herald Tribune]

List of some guests and their stayed date

*Mr. Pierre Cardin September 22 1995
*Oliver Stone July 23 1997
*Mr. Alexander Downer October 3 2000
*Mr. Keng Yam Tony Tan December 31 2002
*Mr. David Rockefeller January 14 2003
*Sir Jagger (Michael P. Jagger) December 24 2003
*Rudyard Kipling
*Lord Mount Batten
*Somersat Maugham & Prince Edward

Notes

*cite news |first=Jim |last=Andrews |title=Tiffin Time Again |url=http://www.irrawaddy.org/aviewer.asp?a=5371&z=107 |work=The Irrawaddy |date=2006-01 |accessdate=2006-12-18
*cite book |last=Falconer |first=John |coauthors=Daniel Kahrs, Elizabeth Moore, Luca Invernizzi |title=Burmese Design and Architecture |year=2001 |publisher=Tuttle Publishing |id=ISBN 9-6259-3882-6

Literature

*cite book|author=William Warren, Jill Gocher|title=Asia's legendary hotels: the romance of travel|location=Singapore|publisher=Periplus Editions|year=2007|isbn=978-0-7946-0174-4

External links

* [http://www.ghmhotels.com/hotels/hotel_home.asp?hotelid=5&section=home The Strand] Homepage