Once upon a time, there were two doors (pictured left). They were born sometime in the late 1800s and adorned the shophouse of a rich Peranakan (Straits Chinese) merchant in Penang.

When the house fell into ruin, they were sold separately to two of the island’s most prominent antique collectors. 

Each tried to buy from the other, knowing that two together made more sense than apart but both refused. The two doors were to spend most of their lives apart … until Christopher Ong and Karl Steinberg (above) came along.

The two hotel developers were looking for something special, a signature, for their new development, 7 Terraces. Their ambition was to re-create a hotel that would offer the best of Peranakan heritage – from antiques, artifacts and design to food.

They found the two doors and bought them separately, not knowing they once belonged together.

“When we found out they used to be in the same house, facing each other, it gave us goosebumps,” said Ong.

You’ll be able to see the reunited doors at 7 Terraces by year end when this latest development by the duo, who made their name on the back of their first hotel, the Galle Fort Hotel in Sri Lanka, opens.

Taking a walk through the building site, I am awed by the work and passion that’s gone into the creation of what will be their flagship property in Penang. (The original staircase that’s been preserved and restored, left)

Ong said 7 Terraces will house one of the richest collections of Peranakan antiques and artefacts in Malaysia, possibly South-east Asia, and is a tribute to his family roots as one of Penang’s foremost Peranakan families.

You have to see Ong’s personal collection which will go into 7 Terraces – it is jaw-dropping.

He shows me a door that’s been carved with intricate Peranakan motifs. “This is probably the last door the craftsman will ever make, he’s in his 80s and no one knows how to make them anymore,” said Ong.

What I like about Ong’s creations is that every one tells a story.

Take the story of Muntri Mews, for instance, his first development in the World Heritage Site-listed area of Georgetown which has fast become the place to be for travellers from around the world with its café and nine rooms.

Muntri Mews is so-called because it started life as a mews in the 1890s and horses were kept below stairs. In the 1920s, when cars came into the picture, the stables were turned into garages. Ong shows me a photo on the wall (left). “I know this boy that’s being carried in this photo – he grew up to be Cheah Seng Kim, a prominent merchant,” he laughed.

Ong’s mother was born in the house next door which is now the W&O Hotel. “It feels funny. I left home to study in Australia and I told my parents I was never going to come back. It’s ironic that I am now back living next door.”

He bought Muntri Mews (right) in 2009. Across the road, he’s also bought another house and that’s where he lives now. “It’s coming home, coming back to the street and bringing life back to the street,” he said.

Ong’s house is truly a walk down memory lane for me – he’s kept a lot of the original structure of the shophouse. There’s the open “wet” kitchen with a vast array of utensils and I love the old bicycle propped up against the bath (left) – made me quite nostalgic for the house I grew up in, although mine was not nearly as grand or spacious as this.

He developed Muntri Mews after he sold Clove Hall, his first project after his return to Penang from Sri Lanka. “I wanted to focus my energy on the inner city,” he said.

Two months ago, he opened Noordin Mews, a restored 1920s Peranakan shophouse. Its inspiration comes from the fact that Noordin Street was famous in the 1950s and 60s as the home of the Wembley Cinema, and the design and feel of this hotel evokes this period of Asian cinema.

I like the little touches throughout this more modestly-designed hotel – each room has a cabinet of memorabilia from the 1950s and 60s (right).  

With his collection of hotels, Ong plans to cater to three levels of travellers looking for unique experiences. Noordin Mews is priced from RM250 a night, Muntri Mews from RM350 and 7 Terraces will come in from RM650-RM750. “We want every traveller to be able to afford and enjoy a true Penang experience.”

As with the Galle Fort Hotel, Ong and Steinberg rely purely on word of mouth and lots of media coverage to spread the word about their properties. Social media has certainly benefited unique, independent places like theirs.

“Galle Fort was a rewarding experience. It was 10 years of hard work but it put us on the map and gave us insights into the industry. But it’s a different model – third world cost and first world revenues. There are not many places like that anymore. We were profitable with 20% occupancy,” he laughed. “That’s how we could survive the war years.”

Penang is “developing country revenue and room rates are competitive and real estate prices are expensive”, he said. “But we have no debt and so we can ride through tough times.”

Business has been good for his hotels. “We are offering the right product at the right price; people seem to understand and know us.”

Most of his business comes direct through his websites which are stylish, simple and easy to use.

TripAdvisor’s both a friend and a foe, he acknowledges. “We sometimes get held to ransom by guests and sabotaged by competitors but we don’t have to be number one, people know how to sift through the stuff. The reviews give an idea of what’s available but I don’t think people follow so blindly these days.”

Now home in Penang, Ong is optimistic about the island’s renaissance as a destination. “Across Asia, we have new travellers making lots of short trips, who want a bit more value and want to stay away from corporate hotels. We want to be ready for them.”

Of course, it helps too that he gets to live out his fantasy and perhaps also his destiny of being a Peranakan “towkay” (boss), just like his father and father before him.