The UNESCO George Town, Penang has an alluring storied colonial past and left behind with countless and timeless heritage of architectural design buildings, many of those have been well preserved and converted into trendy cafes, bars and restaurants, hotels, event venues and beyond.
The mansion was also once an administration centre during the Japanese occupation and in the 1906s, several architectural and interior enhancements were made to better the hotel’s offerings. Fast forward to late 2014, a comprehensive transformation with painstaking restoration, planning and design for this charming Colonial mansion and rebranded as The Edison George Town, Penang in mid July 2016, thanks a to team of passionate hoteliers who are tirelessly putting in the blazing efforts by creating and delivering a unique hospitality with a conceptualized lifestyle hotel of choice.
While the mansion itself is UNESCO heritage listed, there are plentiful restrictions on what could be done which meant that the building retains a lot of the original architectural charm, including tiled floors, tiled skirting, cast iron columns in the central lobby courtyard, the timber entrance doors and timber flooring.
The ‘new’ furniture is custom-made for the lobby area – some references the old and some the new. It is a classic mansion on two levels and has matching sweeping staircases emanating from the central courtyard area which take you up to the first floor guest rooms.
Chic Edison bulb metal wheel chandeliers adorn all the public areas and each guest door entrance has a brass wall sconce lamp for decoration and convenience at night. There are some distressed finishes, but we were reliably informed that some areas are a work in progress, so you can see where work needs to be attended to.
On arrival the staff at the reception desk eschewed any pleasantries of welcoming us but only asked for our passports right away which was somewhat perfunctory and lacking the personalized touch we were expecting. Albert, the operations manager arrived soon after and he took over the check-in formality and then we began to feel that someone cared about the experience, followed by a a brief tour of the historical building and a quick run down on the history of the property which was a great introduction to the heritage mansion especially when checking into a piece of history that you may need to be aware of some precautionary measures during the stay.
#Room 113, our Deluxe Premium room was our home for the next few days. While some parts of the room are under the heritage protection, each guest room door design is the same for a uniform look extended from the lobby area.
On entering our room we were met with a very high ceiling, heritage tiled floors and original painted concrete walls. The 35sqm room gave us a very good first impression, with a firm mattress king bed elegantly made with fine linens and a fabric upholstered bedhead unit that has an extension on one side for a built-in bedside table and lamp under a metal picture rail. The individual free-standing bedside table and wall pendant light on the other side is another eye-catching design that exuded the modern art-deco style. A simple striped rug is in the centre of the room half under the bed and half exposed that gives an extra comfort nook to the spacious room.
To the immediate right as you enter is a very stylish three seater upholstered sofa and a small circular marble coffee table. Opposite the bed is a large work table with an upholstered armchair and a telephone as well as a table lamp at the far end, coffee and tea making facilities together with complimentary all day snacks and non-alcoholic beverages are provided.
A small television is wall mounted above the desk. The one major artwork was a artistic digital watercolour photograph image of a restaurant shop house on the wall referencing local food culture and architecture that is rather captivating.
The large semi open walk-in shower with a strong shower pressure and a toilet next to the shower separated by a glass wall panel features an unique and luxurious bath amenities that we very much enjoyed from The Overthink Co. which is best fitted to this design boutique hotel.
The open plan of the whole room created a sense of space and you could spread suitcases out on the floor and still not feel crowded or congested. The room exuded style but needed some tender loving care to create a more seamless luxury.
The only downside was the state of the room, as it was clear that some deep cleaning was required on the wall wainscoting and fabric venetian blinds, the open wooden doorway frame between the bathroom and bedroom was cracked with visible bubbling and rising damp was visible at the lower part of the toilet wall. The noticeable bath towels threadbare which were replaced twice were not up to any standard that needs immediate attention.
Guests are invited between 6-7pm to the ‘Wine Discovery Hour’ which is a time to enjoy a complimentary glass of wine and mingle with other guests.There is a wine list which is available for purchase should you wish to keep on enjoying your evening. Given that the neighbourhood is packed with restaurants, the hotel sensibly eschews offering a restaurant for guests and encourages them to explore the neighbourhood and local food scene.
The Cabanas at the outdoor area is another cozy spot to get together, looking out at The Pool that runs the length of one side of the hotel and is a little oasis within the inner bustling George Town.
With the limited space, there were only four sun lounges and very closely positioned to each other, so once there was a party of four or more, nowhere else for other guests to enjoy by the pool and a feeling of congestion, but more than enough space down the other side for some extra tables and chairs setting. Also the pool was not really wide enough, so doing laps was nigh on impossible.
The swimming pool is a nice add-on for a small boutique hotel but there is not the follow through, as the pool deck was in a state of bad repair and some trip hazards were clearly visible.
A simple Continental style breakfast is complimentary for every in-house guest and you can order eggs cooked to your liking while helping yourself to breads, pastries, cereals to go with a small selection of cheeses, juices, cut fruits, yoghurts and coffee and tea.
Our stay was quite enjoyable especially from the inspirational design part of it but there is room for improvement based on the aforementioned observations. There is so much to like about The Edison George Town, Penang and first impressions do make you swoon a little as there is a real historic and interior design charm, but when you start to look under the surface you realize that more immediate attention to detail is required.
Overall, an impressive heritage mansion that has so much potential that can only be realized with a more regular maintenance schedule. Staff grooming could be better if they want to amp up the exclusivity. Albert was very personable and deftly watched over the guest experience and he is an integral part of why we enjoyed our stay and he was doing the rounds with every guest, but other team members don’t interact with guests as fluently which would go a long way to enhancing the staycation experience.
Inspired by the old and exploring the new, guests at The Edison George Town, Penang are given the keys to discovering the heartbeat of the neighbouring community’s heritage and cultural attractions through the many traditions and cultures of a multi-racial population as well as its renowned gastronomical experiences where you can truly experience the exceptional.
Design & Decor: 5/5
