Shangri-La Colombo

What it is

Shangri-La Colombo is a 31-floor hotel at 1 Galle Road, in the Slave Island district, built as part of the One Galle Face development on the site of the Old Army Headquarters. It opened in November 2017; Wikipedia gives 16 November in the infobox and 11 November in the text.

It was designed by four firms, Chao Tse Ann & Partners, MICD Associates, Handel Architects and LRF Designers. It is the second Shangri-La hotel in Sri Lanka, after the Hambantota golf resort, and the group's 101st worldwide.

Size and facilities

The page lists 500 rooms and 34 suites, five restaurants and two bars, and space for up to 2,000 conference guests.

Wikipedia also records that the hotel was one of three Colombo hotels attacked in the Easter bombings of 21 April 2019. We include it because it is part of the record; it does not describe the hotel today.

Where it sits

Our itinerary describes the hotel as a large hotel by the sea at the end of Galle Face Green, and uses it for the first night, after the airport transfer. The address is on Galle Road, the same road as the Cinnamon Grand, so the two are alternatives for the same stretch of the city.

Rooms and the rate

The rate in our itinerary is US$136 a night, a listing figure from Booking.com. The page does not tell us the date or room category, so treat it as a rough guide and not as a quote.

Who it suits

It suits travellers who want a modern, large hotel for the first or last night in Colombo, close to the Galle Face seafront, with many restaurants in the building.

It is a poor fit for anyone who wants a small, quiet hotel or a heritage building.