The Memory at On On Hotel
Phuket's oldest continuously operating hotel, serving tin miners since 1927
About the Property
Phuket's oldest continuously operating hotel, founded in 1927 in the Sino-Portuguese style that defines the Old Town's streetscape. Built to serve tin miners and traders arriving at the island's commercial heart, the On On retains its original wooden staircases, patterned encaustic tile floors and high-ceilinged rooms with louvred shutters. Its appearance in the 1999 film The Beach brought international attention without diminishing its authentic, unvarnished character.
Original Purpose
Hotel for tin miners and traders
Highlights
History Timeline
Phuket Town grows rapidly as Chinese Hokkien and Hakka migrants arrive to work the tin mines, funding the construction of Sino-Portuguese shophouses along Phang Nga Road.
A series of violent clashes between rival Chinese clan societies — the Ang Yi and Ghee Hin — reshape Phuket Town's commercial district around Phang Nga Road.
The On On Hotel opens on Phang Nga Road as Phuket's first purpose-built hotel, catering to tin merchants, traders, and colonial officials in its ground-floor coffee shop.
Japanese forces occupy Phuket; the On On Hotel serves as a billet for officers during the Pacific War occupation of the island.
The On On Hotel gains international fame after featuring as the Backpacker Hotel in Danny Boyle's film The Beach, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
The hotel is sensitively restored and relaunched as The Memory at On On Hotel, preserving the original wooden staircases, patterned encaustic tile floors, and Sino-Portuguese façade.