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Shangri-La Colombo stands on the oceanfront at 1 Galle Face, on the southern edge of the Galle Face Green promenade and a short walk from Colombo Fort. Opened in November 2017 as the hotel anchoring the One Galle Face development, it holds 541 rooms, suites and serviced apartments in a single high-rise tower, most of them looking out over the Indian Ocean, Beira Lake or the city. It is the largest international five-star hotel in the capital and doubles as a business address, a dining destination and a mall entrance.
The hotel occupies the corner where Galle Face Green meets the commercial heart of Colombo 2, with the ocean on one side and Beira Lake behind. The Old Parliament building, the Presidential Secretariat and the Fort business district are all within a few minutes on foot or by tuk-tuk. Three railway stations sit close by: Secretariat Halt (SCR) at about 0.4 km, and Kompannavediya (KPN) and Colombo Fort (FOT) both around 0.8 km. That makes it one of the few Colombo hotels from which you can reach the seafront, the government quarter and a mainline station without needing a car.
The tower holds 541 rooms, suites and serviced apartments, and the serviced apartments make it a practical choice for longer stays as well as overnight ones. Rooms are finished in a contemporary style with floor-to-ceiling glazing, marble bathrooms with a separate tub and rain shower, and either an ocean, lake or city outlook. Through Lakpura the property is bookable in Standard, Superior and Deluxe grades, for single, double or triple occupancy, on Room Only, Bed and Breakfast, Half Board or Full Board terms, so you can fix meals in advance or keep evenings free for the restaurants around One Galle Face.
Dining is one of the reasons Colombo residents use the hotel rather than only its guests. Shang Palace serves Cantonese cooking, Capital Bar & Grill is the steak and seafood room with a view over the Green, and Central is the all-day international restaurant. Alongside them are Sapphyr Lounge, Little Gems, Central Café, the Pool Bar and the Tiki Bar, which between them cover afternoon tea, cocktails and poolside drinks. The Horizon Club lounge, for guests booked into club rooms and suites, is among the largest of its kind in the city.
Chi, The Spa offers Sri Lankan and wider Asian treatments in private treatment rooms, backed by a 24-hour health club and one of the larger outdoor pools in Colombo, set on a landscaped podium deck above the street. The hotel connects directly into One Galle Face Mall, the largest shopping centre in the country, so cinemas, supermarkets and a food hall are reachable without stepping outside. For families there is a children's club, and the podium gardens give a rare stretch of green in central Colombo.
Bandaranaike International Airport (CMB) at Katunayake lies roughly 35 km north of the hotel. The quickest route is the E03 Colombo–Katunayake Expressway, which usually takes 45 minutes to an hour depending on the time of day and how heavy traffic is once you come off the expressway into the city. Metered taxis and ride-hailing cars are available at the terminal, but arrivals are often late at night and the queue is unpredictable, so most guests arrange a car in advance and are met in the arrivals hall. Book the Colombo (CMB) Airport transfer to Shangri-La Colombo.
Galle Face Green itself is the immediate draw, busiest at sunset when the kite sellers and street-food carts come out. Within a short ride are the Gangaramaya Temple and Seema Malaka on Beira Lake, the Dutch Hospital shopping precinct, the National Museum, Pettah market and the colonial streets of Fort. The hotel also works as a first or last night for travellers heading south to Galle and the coast, inland to Kandy and the hill country, or north to Anuradhapura.
It is the main conference address in Colombo. The hotel holds the largest banqueting and meeting space in Sri Lanka, with a pillarless grand ballroom and a set of smaller function rooms able to handle everything from board meetings to weddings and conferences of well over a thousand guests. Combined with the serviced apartments, the Horizon Club lounge and a location inside the commercial district, it is the property most often used for corporate stays in the capital.
I had a wonderful 8 night stay. Felt like a second home and everything was made perfect by the very attentive staff at the hotel. The food was delicious, service was excellent and everyone wanted to make us feel comfortable. No re…
The Shangri‑La branch was outstanding. The atmosphere and presentation were top class. I began at the Japanese counter — the seafood selection was excellent, with crab, oysters, and fresh shrimp, all full of flavour. I then enjoye…
Dear Room attendant Dasuni,thank you for you're service very good service and thank u very much
Ratings and reviews provided by TripAdvisor for Shangri-La Colombo.
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