The Sarkies Brothers were Iranian businessmen who developed a hospitality empire in South East Asia at the end of the 19th century: they opened the “Eastern & Oriental Hotel” in 1880 in Penang, Malaysia, the “Raffles Hotel” in 1887 in Singapore and the Strand in Burma in 1901.

Lucas Martin Sarkies, the son of Martin Sarkies, continued the family tradition by opening the then called “Oranje Hotel” in 1911 in Surabaya. Lucas was born in New Jaya, Teheran, Iran in 1876. At the age of 11 years old he moved to Dutch West Indies in East Java essaycaptain writing help. He married a Belgian socialite Charlotte Heyligers in 1896.

Lucas died in 1941 in Lawang in East Java and his wife died in 1945 in a Japanese camps in Central Java.