The History of Strand Hotel (Rangoon)
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, f...
