The Palm Court wing of Raffles Hotel, as seen in this postcard, was opened in December 1894, seven years after the hotel first opened as a three-storey, 10-room bungalow. Raffles Hotel was founded by the Sarkies brothers, owners of the Eastern & Oriental Hotel in Penang. Illustrious names, including Joseph Conrad and Rudyard Kipling, counted as some of Raffles Hotel's earliest guests. The hotel continued to play host to famous personalities such as Somerset Maugham and Charlie Chaplin throughout the early 20th century.
