Yangon International Hotel

The Yangon International Hotel’s construction started in 1990 and finished five years later. Its endless rows of rounded balconies wouldn’t look entirely out of place in Las Vegas.

The Japanese Minatsu Construction Group initially planned a more ambitious project on this site, opposite the People’s Park. During the 1990s, several Japanese firms had their representative offices in this building, which explains the hot bath on the upper terrace, as well as the Japanese restaurant and the karaoke venue on the premises. The location may be the best thing about the hotel. An elevator ride to the ninth floor rewards the intrepid explorer with unhindered access to an airy but largely abandoned roof terrace overlooking this leafy part of Yangon, and affording good views of the Shwedagon Pagoda. The hotel management has begun building an almost identical-looking annex, set to open in 2016.