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]
| Hotel | Location | Opened | Chain | Proprietor | Class[4] | Number of rooms | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cinnamon Citadel Kandy | Kandy | 1983 | Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts | Kandy Walk Inn, a subsidiary of John Keells Hotels PLC | 119 | The 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, Kandy | Kandy | 1898 | Manor House Concepts | 14 | ||||
| Kandy | 1960s | Helga De Silva Blow Perera | 16 | An art nouveau boutique hotel.[6] Kelly Jones of Stereophonics wrote the song "Madame Helga" after staying at the hotel.[7] | ||||
| Kandy | Ceylon Hotels | The Kandy Hotels Company (1938) PLC, a subsidiary of Ceylon Hotels Corporation | 83 | Used as the HQ of the South East Asia Command during World War II under the command of the Earl Mountbatten.[8] | ||||
| Mahaweli Reach Hotel | Kandy | 1973 | Mahaweli Reach Hotels PLC, a subsidiary of Universal Enterprises | 108 | The first five-star hotel in Kandy.[9] | |||
| Gunnepana | 2005 | Manor House Concepts | 9 | Dates back to 1804.[10] | ||||
| Nugawela | 1998 | 10 | Former Nugawela Walauwa[11] | |||||
| Kandy | 1869 | Ceylon Hotels | The Kandy Hotels Company (1938) PLC, a subsidiary of Ceylon Hotels Corporation | 80 | The oldest hotel in Kandy. |
| Hotel | Location | Opened | Chain | Proprietor | Class | Number of rooms | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kandalama | 1994 | Heritance Hotels & Resorts | Kandalama Hotels (Pvt) Ltd, a sub-subsidiary of Aitken Spence Hotel Holdings | 152 | Designed by Geoffrey Bawa. The first hotel in Asia to be accredited with the Green Globe standard.[12] | |||
| Elkaduwa | 1971 | Hunas Holdings PLC | 31 | Opened 1971 with prime minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike in attendance.[13] | ||||
| Sigiriya | 2006 | Jetwing Hotels | Jetwing Hotels | 36 | In 2023, Condé Nast Traveller named the hotel as one of the 15 best eco-hotels in the world.[14] |
| Hotel | Location | Opened | Chain | Proprietor | Class | Number of rooms | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine Hotel | Nuwara Eliya | Alpine Hotel (Pvt) Ltd | 30 | Dates back to 1914 built Planter's Home[15] | ||||
| Nuwara Eliya | 1891 | Tangerine Hotels | The Nuwara Eliya Hotels Company PLC | 154 | The Nuwara Eliya Hotels Company purchased Barnes Hall in 1891.[16] | |||
| Kandapola | 1996 | Heritance Hotels & Resorts | Hethersett Hotels Ltd (a subsidiary of Aitken Spence Hotel Holdings) | 50 | The hotel won the merit award at the UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Awards in 2001.[17] | |||
| Nuwara Eliya | Hill Club Co. Ltd | 45 | Founded as a gentlemen's club in 1876; did not admit locals or women until 1967.[18] | |||||
| St. Andrew's Hotel | Nuwara Eliya | 1891 | Jetwing Hotels | Jetwing Hotels | 56 | Built in 1875. Acquired by Jetwing Hotels in 1986.[19] |
| Hotel | Location | Opened | Chain | Proprietor | Class | Number of rooms | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jetwing Jaffna | Jaffna | 2016 | Jetwing Hotels | Yarl Hotels (Pvt) Ltd | 55 | The tallest building in Jaffna.[20] | ||
| Tilko Jaffna City Hotel | Jaffna | 2010 | Tilko Jaffna City Hotel (Private) Limited | 42 | The first star-class hotel in Jaffna.[21] |
| Hotel | Location | Opened | Chain | Proprietor | Class | Number of rooms | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amangalla | Galle | 1865 | Aman Resorts | Aman Resorts | 33 | Built in 1684. Formerly known as the New Oriental Hotel.[22] | ||
| Cinnamon Bentota Beach | Bentota | 1967 | Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts | Ceylon Holiday Resorts, a subsidiary of John Keells Hotels PLC | 159 | Designed by Geoffrey Bawa. The first resort hotel in Sri Lanka.[23] | ||
| Galle | 1965 | Perera Abeywardena family | 20 | Built in 1860 on the ruins of a Dutch fort. Originally named Villa Marina.[24] | ||||
| Galle | 2001 | A subsidiary of Lankem Ceylon | 12 | Lankem Ceylon acquired the hotel from an Australian investor in 2011.[25] | ||||
| 1981 | Heritance Hotels & Resorts | Aitken Spence Hotel Holdings | 152 | Originally known as the Triton Hotel, named after the Greek god Triton.[26] The first five-star beach resort in Sri Lanka.[27] | ||||
| Galle | 1997 | Jetwing Hotels | The Lighthouse Hotels PLC, a subsidiary of Jetwing Hotels | 85 | Designed by Geoffrey Bawa[28] | |||
| Nooit Gedacht Hotel | Unawatuna | 1991 | 38 | Built in 1735 as a Dutch colonial mansion.[29] | ||||
| Bentota | 1995 | Jetwing Hotels | 27 | The first luxury boutique hotel in the country.[30] | ||||
| Koggala | 1973 | The Fortress Resorts PLC, an associate company of Vallibel One | 53 | Formerly called Club Horizon Hotel, Koggala.[31] Built like a fortress enclosing a Dutch-era villa.[32] |
| Hotel | Location | Opened | Chain | Proprietor | Class | Number of rooms | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cinnamon Grand Colombo | Colombo | 1975 | Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts | Asian Hotels and Properties PLC, a subsidiary of John Keells Holdings | 501 | Formerly known as the Lanka Oberoi Hotel.[34] | ||
| Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo | Colombo | 1981 | Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts | Trans Asia Hotels PLC, a subsidiary of Asian Hotels and Properties PLC | 346 | Previously 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 Resort | Colombo | 2024 third quarter | Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts | Waterfront Properties, a subsidiary of John Keells Holdings | 800 | The 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] | ||
| Colombo | 2014 | Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts | Capitol Hotel Holdings, a joint venture of Sanken, John Keells Holdings, and a Singaporean firm | 243 | Sri Lanka's first 'lean luxury' hotel.[39] | |||
| Colombo | 1984 | Galadari Hotels Lanka PLC, a subsidiary of Galadari Brothers | 450 | The hotel was previously managed by Le Méridien and JW Marriott Hotels.[40] | ||||
| Colombo | 1864 | Galle Face Hotel Company Ltd | 156 | One of the oldest hotels east of Suez Canal.[41] | ||||
| Grand Oriental Hotel | Colombo | 1875 | Bank of Ceylon | 80 | ||||
| Colombo | 1987 | Hilton Hotels & Resorts | Hotel Developers (Lanka) Ltd, a state-owned enterprise of the Government of Sri Lanka | 382 | Delisted from the Colombo Stock Exchange in 2020. Owned by Hotel Developers (Lanka) Ltd, a wholly owned state-owned enterprise.[42] | |||
| Colombo | 1998 | Hilton Hotels & Resorts | Hirdaramani Group | 165 apartments | One of the tallest buildings in Sri Lanka.[43] | |||
| Colombo | April 2024 | ITC Hotels | WelcomHotels Lanka Pvt. Ltd (a subsidiary of ITC Limited) | 352 | ITC Hotel's first international investment[44] | |||
| Colombo | 1973 | Hayleys | 229 | |||||
| Mount Lavinia | 1877 | Mount Lavinia Hotel Group | 275 | |||||
| Colombo | 2017 | Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts | Softlogic Holdings | 219 | It is the first five-star-class hotel to be launched in Colombo in 25 years.[45] | |||
| Colombo | 2017 | Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts | Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts | 500 | ||||
| Colombo | 1980 | Taj Hotels | TAL Lanka Hotels | 300 | One of the oldest five-star hotels in Colombo.[46] | |||
| Colombo | 2005 | Paradise Road Hotels | Bandaranaike family | 10 suites | The 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] |