List of hotels in Sri Lanka explained

According to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), there are 156 classified tourist hotels and 228 unclassified tourist hotels in Sri Lanka.[1] Additionally, there are 40 boutique hotels, 51 boutique villas and 895 bungalows in the country. The classified hotels collectively have a capacity of 15,214 rooms, including 28 five-star hotels and 28 four-star hotels. SLTDA's grading is based on the criteria set by the World Tourism Organization. In 2011, the classified hotels accounted for 70% of the total room capacity in the industry.[2] A number of accommodation facilities that built during the British colonial era have been converted to high-class hotels later. These include the Galle Face Hotel, the Grand Oriental Hotel, the Mount Lavinia Hotel, the Queen's Hotel, Kandy, the Grand Hotel and St. Andrew's Hotel and the New Oriental Hotel.[3]

Central Province

Kandy District

Hotel Location Opened Chain Proprietor Class[4] Number of rooms Notes
Cinnamon Citadel KandyKandy1983Cinnamon Hotels & ResortsKandy Walk Inn, a subsidiary of John Keells Hotels PLC119The hotel's main deck is decorated with Dumbara weaving designs, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage, and an 18-foot handwoven wall hanging by Ena de Silva.[5]
Empire Hotel, KandyKandy1898Manor House Concepts14
Kandy 1960s Helga De Silva Blow Perera 16An art nouveau boutique hotel.[6] Kelly Jones of Stereophonics wrote the song "Madame Helga" after staying at the hotel.[7]
Kandy Ceylon HotelsThe Kandy Hotels Company (1938) PLC, a subsidiary of Ceylon Hotels Corporation 83Used as the HQ of the South East Asia Command during World War II under the command of the Earl Mountbatten.[8]
Mahaweli Reach HotelKandy1973Mahaweli Reach Hotels PLC, a subsidiary of Universal Enterprises108The first five-star hotel in Kandy.[9]
Gunnepana 2005 Manor House Concepts9Dates back to 1804.[10]
Nugawela199810Former Nugawela Walauwa[11]
Kandy1869Ceylon HotelsThe Kandy Hotels Company (1938) PLC, a subsidiary of Ceylon Hotels Corporation80The oldest hotel in Kandy.

Matale District

Hotel Location Opened Chain Proprietor Class Number of rooms Notes
Kandalama1994Heritance Hotels & ResortsKandalama Hotels (Pvt) Ltd, a sub-subsidiary of Aitken Spence Hotel Holdings152Designed by Geoffrey Bawa. The first hotel in Asia to be accredited with the Green Globe standard.[12]
Elkaduwa1971Hunas Holdings PLC31Opened 1971 with prime minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike in attendance.[13]
Sigiriya2006Jetwing HotelsJetwing Hotels36In 2023, Condé Nast Traveller named the hotel as one of the 15 best eco-hotels in the world.[14]

Nuwara Eliya District

Hotel Location Opened Chain Proprietor Class Number of rooms Notes
Alpine HotelNuwara EliyaAlpine Hotel (Pvt) Ltd30Dates back to 1914 built Planter's Home[15]
Nuwara Eliya 1891Tangerine HotelsThe Nuwara Eliya Hotels Company PLC154The Nuwara Eliya Hotels Company purchased Barnes Hall in 1891.[16]
Kandapola1996Heritance Hotels & ResortsHethersett Hotels Ltd (a subsidiary of Aitken Spence Hotel Holdings)50The hotel won the merit award at the UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Awards in 2001.[17]
Nuwara EliyaHill Club Co. Ltd45Founded as a gentlemen's club in 1876; did not admit locals or women until 1967.[18]
St. Andrew's HotelNuwara Eliya1891Jetwing HotelsJetwing Hotels56Built in 1875. Acquired by Jetwing Hotels in 1986.[19]

Northern Province

Jaffna District

Hotel Location Opened Chain Proprietor Class Number of rooms Notes
Jetwing JaffnaJaffna2016Jetwing HotelsYarl Hotels (Pvt) Ltd55The tallest building in Jaffna.[20]
Tilko Jaffna City HotelJaffna2010Tilko Jaffna City Hotel (Private) Limited42The first star-class hotel in Jaffna.[21]

Southern Province

Galle District

Hotel Location Opened Chain Proprietor Class Number of rooms Notes
AmangallaGalle1865Aman ResortsAman Resorts33Built in 1684. Formerly known as the New Oriental Hotel.[22]
Cinnamon Bentota BeachBentota1967Cinnamon Hotels & ResortsCeylon Holiday Resorts, a subsidiary of John Keells Hotels PLC159Designed by Geoffrey Bawa. The first resort hotel in Sri Lanka.[23]
Galle 1965Perera Abeywardena family20Built in 1860 on the ruins of a Dutch fort. Originally named Villa Marina.[24]
Galle 2001A subsidiary of Lankem Ceylon12Lankem Ceylon acquired the hotel from an Australian investor in 2011.[25]
1981Heritance Hotels & ResortsAitken Spence Hotel Holdings152Originally known as the Triton Hotel, named after the Greek god Triton.[26] The first five-star beach resort in Sri Lanka.[27]
Galle 1997Jetwing HotelsThe Lighthouse Hotels PLC, a subsidiary of Jetwing Hotels85Designed by Geoffrey Bawa[28]
Nooit Gedacht HotelUnawatuna199138Built in 1735 as a Dutch colonial mansion.[29]
Bentota1995Jetwing Hotels27The first luxury boutique hotel in the country.[30]
Koggala1973The Fortress Resorts PLC, an associate company of Vallibel One53Formerly called Club Horizon Hotel, Koggala.[31] Built like a fortress enclosing a Dutch-era villa.[32]

Uva Province

Badulla District

Western Province

Colombo District

Hotel Location Opened Chain Proprietor Class Number of rooms Notes
Cinnamon Grand ColomboColombo1975Cinnamon Hotels & ResortsAsian Hotels and Properties PLC, a subsidiary of John Keells Holdings501Formerly known as the Lanka Oberoi Hotel.[34]
Cinnamon Lakeside ColomboColombo1981Cinnamon Hotels & ResortsTrans Asia Hotels PLC, a subsidiary of Asian Hotels and Properties PLC346Previously known as the Ramada Renaissance Hotel.[35] During the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2013, some of the heads of State stayed at the hotel.[36]
Cinnamon Life Integrated ResortColombo2024 third quarterCinnamon Hotels & ResortsWaterfront Properties, a subsidiary of John Keells Holdings800The first integrated resort in Sri Lanka[37] and the largest private investment in the country. It is planned to open in the third quarter of 2024.[38]
Colombo2014Cinnamon Hotels & ResortsCapitol Hotel Holdings, a joint venture of Sanken, John Keells Holdings, and a Singaporean firm243Sri Lanka's first 'lean luxury' hotel.[39]
Colombo1984Galadari Hotels Lanka PLC, a subsidiary of Galadari Brothers450The hotel was previously managed by Le Méridien and JW Marriott Hotels.[40]
Colombo1864Galle Face Hotel Company Ltd156One of the oldest hotels east of Suez Canal.[41]
Grand Oriental HotelColombo1875Bank of Ceylon80
Colombo1987Hilton Hotels & ResortsHotel Developers (Lanka) Ltd, a state-owned enterprise of the Government of Sri Lanka382Delisted from the Colombo Stock Exchange in 2020. Owned by Hotel Developers (Lanka) Ltd, a wholly owned state-owned enterprise.[42]
Colombo1998Hilton Hotels & ResortsHirdaramani Group165 apartmentsOne of the tallest buildings in Sri Lanka.[43]
ColomboApril 2024ITC HotelsWelcomHotels Lanka Pvt. Ltd (a subsidiary of ITC Limited)352ITC Hotel's first international investment[44]
Colombo1973Hayleys229
Mount Lavinia1877Mount Lavinia Hotel Group275
Colombo2017Mövenpick Hotels & ResortsSoftlogic Holdings219It is the first five-star-class hotel to be launched in Colombo in 25 years.[45]
Colombo2017Shangri-La Hotels and ResortsShangri-La Hotels and Resorts500
Colombo1980Taj HotelsTAL Lanka Hotels300One of the oldest five-star hotels in Colombo.[46]
Colombo2005Paradise Road HotelsBandaranaike family10 suitesThe former town residence of the Bandaranaike family. In 1959, Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike was fatally shot on the verandah of the house.[47]

Kalutara District

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Year review in 2023 August . sltda.gov.lk . Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority . 5 December 2023 . 14 . August 2023.
  2. Web site: Ensuring Sustainability in Sri Lanka's Growing Hotel Industry . . 7 June 2021 . 2013.
  3. Book: Fernando . S. . Bandara . J. S. . Smith . C. . Hall . M. C. . Page . S. J. . The Routledge Handbook of Tourism in Asia . 2016 . . . 251–264 . 7 June 2021 . Tourism in Sri Lanka.
  4. Web site: Hotels & Other Accommodation . srilanka.travel . 13 January 2024 . en.
  5. News: Exquisite grandeur at Cinnamon Citadel Kandy . 6 March 2022 . . . 12 October 2012.
  6. Web site: Helgas Folly . reddottours.com . 6 April 2021.
  7. Web site: Helga's Folly (Chalet Hotel) . yamu.lk . 6 April 2021.
  8. Book: Ellis, Royston . Royston Ellis . Sri Lanka: the Bradt Travel Guide . 2005 . . Bucks, England . 9781841621296 . 93 . 17 August 2022.
  9. News: Jansz . Beverley . Mahaweli Reach - the first 5-star in Kandy . 21 July 2022 . . . 7 April 2002.
  10. Web site: Kandy House . telegraph.co.uk . . 7 June 2021.
  11. News: Attygalle . Randima . 'Nugawela Mansion': Walauwa turns hotel . 17 August 2022 . The Sunday Times . Wijeya Newspapers . 11 June 2000.
  12. Owen . Ceridwen . Architecture between the culture-nature dualism: a case study of Geoffrey Bawa’s Kandalama hotel . International Journal of Architectural Research . 2008 . 2 . 1 . 49 . 10.26687/archnet-ijar.v2i1.176 . 10 January 2023.
  13. News: Pradeepa . Ganga . Where the mist will take you unawares . 18 December 2023 . . 21 November 2008.
  14. News: Vil Uyana in 15 best eco hotels list by Condé Nast Traveller . 28 November 2023 . . 14 May 2023.
  15. News: Alpine receives award . 19 August 2022 . Daily News . Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited . 14 October 2005.
  16. News: Stay cool in Grand style . 19 August 2022 . The Sunday Times . Wijeya Newspapers . 8 March 1998.
  17. News: UNESCO award for Tea Factory Hotel . 26 December 2023 . . 10 March 2002.
  18. Book: Warren . William . Asia's legendary hotels : the romance of travel . 2012 . . Singapore . 9781462906741 . 110 . First . 19 August 2022.
  19. Book: Briggs . Philip . Sri Lanka . 2018 . . 978-1-78477-057-0 . 419 . 19 August 2022.
  20. Web site: Jetwing Jaffna . telegraph.co.uk . . 7 June 2021.
  21. Web site: Tilko Jaffna City Hotel . . Wijeya Newspapers . 7 June 2021.
  22. Web site: Amangalla . yamu.lk . 7 June 2021.
  23. Book: Gunawardena . Charles . Encyclopedia of Sri Lanka . 2005 . New Dawn Press . New Delhi . 978-1-93270-548-5 . 47 . 2nd rev. . 30 November 2022.
  24. News: Malwatte . Gayan . Windsor . Ruwan . Bailey Kande Walawwa . 18 August 2022 . Sunday Observer . Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited . 23 May 2021.
  25. News: Lankem buys boutique Galle Fort Hotel for Rs. 770 m . 18 August 2022 . Daily FT . Wijeya Newspapers . 24 November 2011.
  26. News: de Silva . Charitha. P. . Aitken Spence breaks into hotels . 10 December 2023 . . 6 February 2022.
  27. Book: Ellis . Royston . Royston Ellis . Sri Lanka . 2011 . . 978-1-84162-346-7 . 212 . 10 December 2023.
  28. News: Boyle . Emma . Jetwing Lighthouse . 18 August 2022 . telegraph.co.uk . Telegraph Media Group.
  29. News: It's your kind of station with more than just music! . 7 June 2021 . . Wijeya Newspapers . 20 December 1998.
  30. Web site: Saman Villas and Mermaid Hotel & Club join Jetwing family . ft.lk . . 7 June 2021.
  31. News: Dhammika buys 56.07% stake of Club Horizon Hotel . 28 July 2022 . . . 12 February 2003.
  32. Book: Briggs . Philip . Sri Lanka . 2018 . . 978-1-78477-057-0 . 586 . 28 July 2022.
  33. Book: Herath . Hanshika . Munasinghe . Sarath . Managerial Strategies and Solutions for Business Success in Asia . November 2016 . IGI Global Publication . 304–316 . 7 June 2021 . Domestic Tourist Satisfaction in a Colonial Hotel and Its Implications for Management: The Case of Bandarawela Hotel, Sri Lank.
  34. Book: Herdeck . Margaret . Piramal . Gita . India's Industrialists . 1985 . Lynne Rienner Publishers . Washington DC . 9780894104152 . 287 . illustrated, revised . 13 August 2021.
  35. Web site: Annual Report 2018/19 . cse.lk . Trans Asia Hotels PLC . 18 July 2021.
  36. News: Dias . Sunimalee . World leaders to stay at Hilton, Cinnamon Lakeside . 18 July 2021 . . Wijeya Newspapers . 18 August 2013.
  37. Web site: Invest in Sri Lanka . cinnamonlife.com . 26 April 2021.
  38. Web site: Annual Report 2022/23 . cse.lk . John Keells Holdings . 22 December 2023 . 13.
  39. Web site: Cinnamon Red pioneers 'lean luxury' for contemporary travellers . ft.lk . . 7 June 2021.
  40. News: Galadari sparkles October . 11 July 2022 . . . 6 October 2009.
  41. Web site: Sri Lanka's The Galle Face Hotel announces five new exec appointments . ehotelier.com . 7 June 2021.
  42. News: Hilton Colombo to delist from CSE . 27 August 2021 . adaderana.lk . . 26 June 2020.
  43. Web site: Hilton JAIC Tower - Sold . breakingtravelnews.com . Breaking Travel News . 1 April 2022.
  44. News: Dutt . Ishita Ayan . ITC's luxury project in Colombo hit by headwinds as Sri Lanka economy sinks . 7 February 2024 . . 23 June 2022.
  45. News: President declares open Movenpick Hotel Colombo . 25 November 2021 . . . 9 January 2017.
  46. Web site: Taj Samudra Colombo, Sri Lanka . telegraph.co.uk . . 14 August 2021.
  47. Web site: Tintagel Colombo – A Unique and Private Hotel for the discerning tourist . The Times of Sri Lanka . 24 April 2021 . 15 January 2013.
  48. News: Boyle . Emma . The Blue Water . 19 August 2022 . telegraph.co.uk . Telegraph Media Group.