The first hotel in Kuala Lumpur, it was said, was not a hotel at all. It was more of a Bed and Breakfast, a spare home of an English trader that refurbished it and turned it into “Eastern Hotel” more than 100 years ago.
At the turn of the 20th century, KL as a town had seen rapid growth on the back of the mining boom, and soon informal inns and boarding houses were complimented by full-fledged hotels.
By 1914, the Station Hotel Kuala Lumpur was already in operations, to support the grand Kuala Lumpur Railway Station, which re-opened in 1910 following massive rebuilding.
According to the promotional pamphlet produced by the Federated Malay States Railways, entitled “Tours of the Peninsula Malaysia 1914”, the Station Hotel had electric light and fans, and a “high-class” adjoining restaurant.
To book a place, one could send a telegram, “free of charge, on application to the Station Master at any station of the Federated Malay States Railway System.”
The pamphlet also mentioned two other hotels in its vicinity, namely the Grand Oriental Hotel and Empire Hotel.
The Empire Hotel building was originally a town house, built for tycoon Loke Chow Kit, who was also a municipal councilor, public official, and the first local owner of a department store - Chow Kit & Co. Designed by an Anglo-Indian architect A.K Musdeen, the mansion became Empire Hotel in 1909 and then Peninsula Hotel years later. The building still stands to this day on Jalan Tangsi, thanks to the Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia who restored and maintained it for years. It is now the head office for Kuala Lumpur Tourism Bureau.
As the capital continued its rapid growth, the ever expanding Market Square became a burgeoning commercial hub, and by the 30s, financial institutions such as The Overseas Chinese Bank Corp and the Hong Kong Shanghai Corporation Bank set up their operations had set up operations in KL.
In reflection of this, the Majestic Hotel was opened in 1932. Designed by the Dutch architectural firm Keyes and Dowdeswell, it was commissioned by the Trustees of the Estate of Loke Wan Tho, the youngest son of the businessman Loke Yew.
The hotel served as a more luxurious alternative to the Station Hotel across the street. Constructed in a hybrid of neo-classical and art deco styles, the 51 room hotel sat on a hilltop site facing the train station, and for the first time in Malayan history, modern sanitation was introduced in all rooms, with hot and cold water, showers, and long baths in 18 rooms, considered the height of luxury in its day.
The Majestic, which fell into disrepair and closed for more than a decade in the 90s and 00s, has now returned as a luxury hotel after it was taken over by the YTL Group and underwent a major restoration exercise.
Photo Credit: The Majestic KL; “Tours of the Peninsula Malaysia 1914”
