"Raffles Hotel" - Nadia H. WRIGHT

Nadia Wright's article "Raffles Hotel" is devoted to the history of one of the most famous hotels in Southeast Asia, founded and managed for decades by the Armenian Sarkies family, as well as to the role of the Armenian diaspora in shaping Singapore's hotel industry. The material is based on the author's book "Respected Citizens."

Introduction and Methodology

Taking as its starting point Somerset Maugham's well-known description of "Raffles" as "standing for all the fables of the exotic East," the author reconstructs the hotel's history using documentary sources, colonial-era press, and archival materials of the "Sarkies Brothers" company.

Founding and Early Development

The article examines the hotel's establishment in 1887 by Tigran and Martin Sarkies, who had previously gained experience at the "Eastern & Oriental" in Penang. It traces the key stages of growth:

• expansion of the building and the opening of a billiard room;
• introduction of regular holiday banquets;
• construction of a new Renaissance-style wing designed by R.A.J. Bidwell (1899);
• installation of electric lighting and an independent water supply system.

Staffing Policy and the Armenian Identity of the Enterprise

Special attention is paid to the principle of staff recruitment: administrative positions were held almost exclusively by Armenians, and an extensive list of employees and managers is provided, underscoring the role of the ethnic network in the business's success.

The Golden Age under Aviet and Martyros Aratoon

The article describes the period of Aviet Sarkies's leadership, during which the hotel became a self-sufficient complex (with a garage, bakery, confectionery, and farm), as well as the innovations introduced by Martyros Aratoon — the expansion of room capacity, the development of cruise tourism, the introduction of jazz music, and the replacement of Armenian management with British staff.

Crisis and Bankruptcy

The article analyzes the consequences of the Great Depression and the death of Arshak Sarkies in 1931, which led to the company's bankruptcy and the transfer of management to the "Raffles Hotel Ltd." consortium.

The Hotel's Fate in the 20th–21st Centuries

The post-war history is briefly covered: changes of ownership, the granting of national monument status (1987), extensive restoration, the transformation of the "Raffles" brand into an international chain, and the deal with "Colony Capital" in 2005.

The article's key conclusion is that the success and unique character of the "Raffles" Hotel were the result of a deliberate strategy pursued by the Armenian Sarkies family, who managed to combine colonial English comfort with Eastern exoticism, as well as of the foundational role played by the Armenian diaspora in the establishment of the hotel industry in Singapore and the wider region.