Malay Mail had an exclusive interview on the 102 years old Ban Loong Hotel @ old town Ipoh, 2017. The owner of the Hotel, Mr Loh Yoon Khoon & Ir Loh Ban Ho are also founder & owner of Mansion Builders, a leading property developer in Perak, Malaysia.

 

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http://epaper.mmail.com.my/2017/03/18/new-lease-of-life-for-102-year-old-building/
HISTORY, as the saying goes, has a peculiar way of repeating itself and the in Jalan Bandar Timah, Ipoh, is a good example.

Ninety years ago, the building was used as a hardware store that doubled as a temporary stopover for Chinese migrants taking their first steps into Ipoh, the tin-mining hub of yore.

Today, the 102-year-old building is set to revisit its role of accommodating travellers albeit in a modern incarnation as a boutique hotel.

In what is best described as a labour of love, 46-year-old engineer Loh Ban Ho sets up the hotel to preserve the building, which has been in his family for four generations.

About 126 years ago, his great-grandfather left a small village near Dabu, China to find work in Malaya. He settled in Sungai Siput, starting a family.

In 1926, son Mee Loon took a gamble that would pay off handsomely for the family, buying a shophouse in the centre of Ipoh at a tender age of 23.

“In those days, the British assumed you were a communist if you didn’t own property. So my grandfather decided to purchase a shoplot to show that he was only an honest businessman,” Loh said.

“It was around this time that he learnt about the business of weighing scales so he set up shop in the building.”

But World War II changed things. Destruction brought by the war flattened thousands of buildings, forcing scores of residents to repair their houses by themselves.

Loh’s grandfather sensed an opportunity and expanded his business to sell hardware, which catapulted the business further.

And as more workers joined the business, the store began to take on a more meaningful role for the growing Chinese community in Ipoh.

In those days, the husbands would leave China in search of a job in Malaya while wives stayed behind. Only when a job had been secured, he would send for her.

But the message could take months to be delivered, and some wives only arrived in Ipoh four to five months later. By then, some of their husbands would have moved to other areas like Kampar or Sungai Siput for work.

With no contacts in Ipoh, the women would have nowhere to go until they came across the Loh family store.

“In those days, store workers would be provided with three daily meals and living quarters upstairs.

“My grandfather used to give these women jobs so they could have a meal and a place to stay.

“People used to come to the store looking for their relatives, as there was a chance that they would be working or staying there.

“The store took on the role of a community centre. It meant a great deal to many families who migrated here from China,” he said.

Loh’s uncle continued to run the store until a few years ago, when the adverse effects of the goods and services tax forced him to close.

It is history that inspired Loh to turn his ancestral home into a hotel, instead of letting it fall into ruin.

“We thought the best way to preserve the building is to turn it into a hotel. This way, someone will always be taking care of it,” he said.

“At the same time, we want to maintain as much of the original building as possible.”

Restoration began in 2015, as the building’s wooden first floor and staircase were demolished and replaced with concrete slabs. It is to fulfil safety standards set by the Fire and Rescue Department.

Loh also built a new steel framework within the pre-war building to reduce burden on its brick structure.

“We basically built a new building within the old one. It was three times more expensive than building a new shop, but we didn’t want to tear down the original structure.

“Only by maintaining the original bricks and mortar could we adequately portray the history and stories that still live in the building,” he said.

After a brief trial run, the Ban Loong Hotel is expected to be opened in April with nine rooms.

The most important facet of the hotel is still the spirit that drives Loh and his family to keep the place going.

“This building meant so much to so many people, especially my family who called it our ancestral home,” he said.

“Five generations have stood in its halls. With the work we have put in, I hope another five generations can do so as well.”

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