The History of Strand Hotel (Rangoon)

At No. 92 Strand Road, British entrepreneur John Darwood built and opened the Strand Hotel as a three-story hotel in 1901. It was later acquired and owned by the Armenian brothers—Martin, Tigran, Aviet, and Arshak Sarkies—who were born in Isfahan, Iran.

The Sarkies brothers were the owners of some of Southeast Asia's most famous colonial-era luxury hotels, including Raffles Hotel in Singapore, the Eastern & Oriental Hotel in Penang, Malaysia, and Hotel Majapahit in Surabaya, Indonesia.

Since its opening, The Strand Hotel has been metaphorically referred to as "the finest hostelry east of Suez." The 1911 edition of Murray’s Handbook for Travellers in India, Burma and Ceylon also praised the hotel as "The finest hostelry East of Suez." During that era, The Strand was a destination visited and patronized by royalty, the wealthy, and prominent figures.

In 1937, the hotel underwent major renovations. During World War II, from 1942 to 1945, the Japanese renamed the hotel the Yamato Hotel, and it is said that certain parts of the hotel were used as stables and feed rooms for military horses.

In April 1945, an Allied bomb pierced the roof of The Strand and fell inside. Records state that the unexploded bomb landed in what was formerly called the Princess Hall, which is now the hotel manager's office.

After 1949, new owners Steel Bros. & Co. made investments to further renovate the hotel.

In 1963, after the hotel was nationalized, travel declined, and the condition of the hotel building and the quality of its services gradually deteriorated.

In 1989, Indonesian hotelier Adrian Zecha, the man behind Aman Resorts, took over as co-owner and began extensive renovations, reportedly building a new banquet hall as well.

Further renovations were carried out between 2016 and 2017, which included the opening of a new outdoor swimming pool.

Note: According to oral histories and local recollections, there was an indoor swimming pool beneath the floor of the former wedding hall inside the original Strand Hotel building, or a large open space underneath. However, no original floor plans, blueprints, renovation records, or vintage photographs confirming this fact have been found to date.