The hotel is an easy walk or inexpensive tuk tuk from either the bus or train station (Colombo fort stn). A refreshing juice on arrival is a nice touch (something you can used to in Sri Lanka). Our room was relatively large, clean, good bathroom. Would stay again.
Courtyard
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Lol.travel
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Lol.travel
I was desperate to stay here after staying for a long time at other Colombo hotels. This is the original Colonial hotel and it still feels like it is 1950. Sure it is not The Kingsbury or The Galidari but it has an old world charm of its own.
The rooms are huge with wood panelling and archaic furnishings but that is part of the charm. If you want a slick hotel then go somewhere else. If you want evocative charm, a great restaurant overlooking the harbour and the real 1950s feel then this is for you.
Its a Dracula Mansion; kilometer long empty corridors, some places horrifying dark in night, rooms with ill-kept furniture and fittings, name-sake mini fridge useful to keep your shoes or used cloths, silent intercom, floor dusty that leaves your lasting black footprints on the wet floors of bathroom, just warm 'hot water' which will sure get you fever if a bath taken for the early morning flight, two restaurants always keeping buffet and cant serve your specific light dinner, no shops or restaurants in the 3 kilometer vicinity, morning coffee room served always horrible with smoky taste, good for nothing spa, barren night club, mostly untrained staff and what not...!
A management that can spend few millions can make it perhaps the best heritage hotel in Srilanka.
Thank you for your time in reviewing us. We are concerned to read your review and would like to profusely apologize for any inconvenience caused. We have conducted inquiries into the observations mentioned .However, we do not agree. We have had back to back high occupancy and all guests have been satisfied. Thank you for bringing your viewpoint to our attention.
Front Office Manager
Grand Oriental Hotel Colombo
The hotel which is the Oldest Hotel and one of the busiest hotel years long ago....
We as 8 people in four rooms had a great time there...
Need some maintenance here and there....
Food is good a good spread catering all...
On the whole I could say stay was not bad...
This made me feel like I was on the set of a scary movie. Classical music played in the halls until late and rattling trolleys could be heard constantly up and down the halls all night. The view from my window was a falling down building with air conditioners that had fallen off lying on the ground below. I later learned that this was actually the same building. Staff were lovely and very helpful. Bar has a good view of the harbours if you're into ships. Apparently Queen Elizabeth used to stay there. That must've been a hundred years ago and it hasn't been done up since then. Staff were the only positive for me.
There is nothing grande about this hotel. Most of the staff is very cold and unfriendly, rooms are outdated, dusty, bathrooms are small and smelly. We asked for a nonsmoking room, but the room had a horrible smoking smell. Needless to say, I will not book this hotel again.
