Penang Hill: Heritage buildings to be given new lease of life

GEORGE TOWN (Nov 6): A number of heritage buildings on Penang Hill will be spruced up and given a new lease of life.

According to a report by the Malay Mail, they involve Convalescent Bungalow, Woodside Bungalow, Hillside Bungalow, and Crag Hotel.

State tourism, heritage, arts and culture state exco Yeoh Soon Hin said Penang Hill Corp (PHC) is preparing a request for proposal (RFP) to redevelop Convalescent Bungalow into an eco-friendly hotel with 250 to 300 rooms.

Yeoh revealed these plans at the state legislative assembly today.

Meanwhile, the Woodside Bungalow will become “a boutique hotel with a unique tourism attraction”.

As for Hillside Bungalow, restoration works are being carried out to convert it to the “Hillside Retreat and it is expected to be open for operations at the end of this month”, Yeoh said.

“The RFP for the project will be called by early 2020,” he added.

The historical Crag Hotel has not been left out, with Chief Minister Incorporated (CMI) tasked with redeveloping the site “through a RFP for the restoration, refurbishment, redevelopment and management” of the property, the news portal reported Yeoh saying.

“An international company was appointed to develop and manage a six-star hotel by rebranding it as Aman Crag and the hotel will have a total of 28 rooms,” he added.

Of all the buildings on the hill, Convalescent Bungalow is reportedly the oldest, having been constructed in 1803, according to Penang Global Tourism website.

The buildings were built by both the British authorities and Chinese tycoons.

The Woodside Bungalow, for example, has such a colonial air about it that it was chosen as a location for the filming of the British drama series Indian Summers.