The Crag Hotel is a decommissioned hotel and former international school on Penang Hill in Pilau Pinang, Malayisa. The structure has appeared in Academy Award-winning films and a BBC television series.
Mr Bright originally occupied the land in 1845, and it was most likely a private dwelling. It was utilized as a sanatorium from the early 1850s. Captain John W Kerr, an East India Company employee, took over the lease in 1896 and made several renovations to the location, which became a favorite refuge for Europeans living in Georgetown and Penang Island as a place to escape the harsh heat and humidity of the lower coastal districts.
The Crag Hotel remained open until World War II. The structure was destroyed by the Japanese during their occupation of Penang. During the war, the structure sat vacant for a decade until being leased to the Uplands School (now called the Penang International School). The school, which first opened its doors in 1955, was a primary boarding school with pupils and staff residing on its premises.
The Uplands School inhabited the Crag Hotel and Grace Dieu not far away until 1977, when the old hotel property was abandoned once more. Attempts were made until 1999 to use the buildings as a guesthouse, but plans did not pan out, and Crag Hotel has been shuttered since then.
On the site of the former Crag Hotel, there were plans in 2011 to develop a luxury hotel with 20 villas, spa facilities, restaurants, poolside and lounge bars. But, little progress has been made since then.
Another development proposal was established in 2016 to turn the region surrounding Penang Hill, including the Crag Hotel, into a therapeutic and luxury spa center, with the goal of making the area a prominent tourist destination. The Crag Hotel, on the other hand, has been long abandoned and is not a popular tourist destination. There are also rumors among locals that this abandoned hotel in Penang is haunted.
Directions to Crag Hotel
To get to the abandoned Crag Hotel, use the funicular up Penang Hill and then follow the route down. The hotel is a short walk from the top of Penang Hill on the road that heads down. That should take about 15 minutes. The motel is located at the end of the first left turn on the way down.
