What People Are Saying

Soori Penang is a unique and deeply personal project by award-winning architect Soo K. Chan, rooted in his ancestral heritage within George Town’s UNESCO-listed heart. Celebrated for its thoughtful restoration and design narrative, the hotel is praised as a unique convergence of living history, architectural poetry, and cultural revival.

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL / 2015

Architect Soo K. Chan’s inspiration is his childhood home in a Unesco World Heritage Site

PLENTY OF PEOPLE SPEND THEIR formative years in beautiful settings. But few can make the claim that architect Soo K. Chan can—to have been raised in a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Mr. Chan, 53, was born and raised in Penang, a Malaysian island that was an important stop for spice merchants in 18th and 19th centuries. Mr. Chan’s maternal side, the Khoo clan, settled on the island and in the mid-1800s built Khoo Kongsi, a compound with gilded temple and central granite square from which the clan’s row houses radiated.

WALLPAPER* / 2026

How an architect rebuilt his family ‘kongsi’ into Malaysia’s most ambitious hotel

AFAR / 2026

This UNESCO-Designated City in Southeast Asia Just Welcomed a New Heritage Hotel

The Edge Singapore / 2026

Coming full circle

Travel+Leisure SEA / 2026

Penang’s Most Luxurious Stay Just Opened in UNESCO-listed George Town

Condé Nast Traveler / 2026

Soori Penang: First In

The New York Times T Magazine / 2026

A Malaysian Hotel Made Up of Renovated Shophouses

Bloomberg / 2025

25 Best Places to Travel in 2026

Tatler Asia / 2025

Discover Soori Penang: how SCDA's Soo Chan reimagined his childhood home as a luxury heritage hotel

The Business Times / 2025

Chan Soo Khian: Going back Home

Design Anthology / 2022

Historical Beginnings

While Soori Penang will undoubtedly be an exquisite hotel, the main allure is perhaps the hotel’s narrative—of which Chan’s personal history is part.

The Business Times Magazine, ‘Chan Soo Khian: Going back home’, April 2024

While Soori Penang will undoubtedly be an exquisite hotel, the main allure is perhaps the hotel’s narrative—of which Chan’s personal history is part.

The Business Times Magazine, ‘Chan Soo Khian: Going back home’, April 2024
The place the world talks about

Featured in the World's Best Publications

Where to stay
Look out for the fall opening of Soori Penang among a cluster of 15 restored shophouses within Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi, a historic, highly ornamented family compound with its own temple.

- July 2025
Where to go in 2026
Among them is architect Soo K. Chan. After opening the acclaimed Soori resort in Bali almost a decade ago, he returns to his roots with Soori Penang, set in the same row of heritage shophouses he grew up in. Opening in early 2026, the hotel’s 15 suites will blend the buildings’ original architectural features with modern, muted interiors and insider access to the adjoining Khoo Kongsi temple.Look out for the fall opening of Soori Penang among a cluster of 15 restored shophouses within Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi, a historic, highly ornamented family compound with its own temple.

- Dec 2025
A multicultural city rich in history celebrates its storied past
In January, a collection of shophouses built around 1906 will open as the boutique hotel Soori Penang. Its architect grew up in the compound and drew design inspiration from Khoo Kongsi, a nearby temple known for its ornate stone carvings

- Jan 2026
The 39 Most Hotly Anticipated Luxury Hotel Openings of the Year
The UNESCO-beloved island off Malaysia’s west coast is known for its M&M-colored shophouses, a charming holdover from its colonial-era past, when they doubled as both homes and stores (hence the name). Architect Soo K. Chan grew up in one of them, before going on to found SCDA Architects and earn plaudits around the world for his work.In January, a collection of shophouses built around 1906 will open as the boutique hotel Soori Penang. Its architect grew up in the compound and drew design inspiration from Khoo Kongsi, a nearby temple known for its ornate stone carvings

- Jan 2026
SOORI PENANG

In the Press