Live. Love. Spice.

About us

Spices Hotel once 4 units of derelict shophouses was about to be converted to yet another swiftlets’ house until the current owners, an Architect himself and his wife a Town Planner and Landscape Architect, drawn by the uniqueness of old Bodhi tree which grew onto the party wall of one of the units that were completely ruined by fire many years back decided to acquire them. Their intention was to combine the 4 units each with a lot size of only 500 sqft into their dream bohemian residence cum workplace within the living Cultural Enclave of George Town.

A major facelift and painstaking restoration work to reinstate the structures, roof and façade of the 4-unit shophouse ensemble began as early as March 2012 and unexpectedly took almost a year to complete due to the dilapidated state of the building as well as the difficulty in getting some of the doors and windows to match the original windows that were identified through research of the shophouse typology around the same era. Interestingly the 4 units are made up of 2 pairs of identical shophouses believed to be built 100 years apart, circa1790s and circa1890s with their unique architectural characteristics respectively.

In early 2013, the owners decided to delay their relocation and instead open them to guests who wanted to experience their home as a boutique homestay. Spices Hotel had since attracted many visitors from all over the world who are looking for an alternative choice of accommodation, one that is rich with diverse experience of the cosiness of a home, a true sense of place within the living heritage enclave of the George Town UNESCO World Heritage Site and the unique hospitality offered. Today, Spices Hotel is managed by Spices Collection Sdn Bhd.

Uniquely in line with the vision of the owners, Spices Hotel is all about making you feel at home whilst away from home. Common nooks and spaces made up 40% of the building for living room, dining, library, family deck and a naturally landscaped courtyard garden that were designed to allow guests to literally relax and indulge in the comfort of a home. The hotel boasts of 8 deliberately and distinctly designed guest rooms with attached bathrooms, cable TV and free wifi.

Property info

An Award-Winning Boutique hotel in the core UNESCO Heritage Zone of George Town, Penang, truly presents its charming history and cultural richness by its Moroccan, Spanish, Indian and local flavoured interior decor.

Spices Boutique Residence Hotel was presented with the “Adaptive Reuse” Award by the Architectural Association (Malaysia) in 2014. Spices is made up of 4 unique pre-war houses and its currently houses 8 individually designed guest rooms. Lumut Lane was once the centre of Islamic studies and one of the earliest Malay settlement in George Town that was frequented by traders from the Malay Archipelago, Arab and India. Back then, spices were indeed one of the main trade……hence the name Spices Boutique Residence Hotel.

A petite garden with a preserved big tree (>150 years) co-exists with the building and some evergreen trees which form the canopy of the garden. Spices is surrounded by an abundance of heritage buildings and museums, and not to mention world-class street arts. Spices Hotel is managed by Spices Collection chain of boutique accommodation with the theme, “LIVE . LOVE . SPICE”.

If anyone of you has been here, email us at hello@hipshut.com to share your experience with others.