The Galle Face Hotel, founded in 1864, is one of the oldest hotels east of
Suez
Suez ( ar, السويس '; ) is a seaport city (population of about 750,000 ) in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez (a branch of the Red Sea), near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same boun ...
. It is located on Galle Road,
Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...
. The
Ceylon Hotels Corporation
Ceylon Hotels Corporation PLC, often called Ceylon Hotels, is a hospitality company in Sri Lanka. The company was incorporated through an act in the Parliament of Sri Lanka in 1966. The company was listed as a public company in the following yea ...
is now part of the Galle Face Hotel Group. The hotel is a member of Select Hotels and Resorts International. The current chairman of the hotel is Sanjeev Gardiner, since the demise of his father Cyril Gardiner in 1997. It is listed as one of the "1000 Places to See Before You Die" in the book of the same name. It received the "Best Heritage Hotel" title three years running at the Presidential Awards for Travel and Tourism (of
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
), held in June 2010, June 2011 and September 2012.
In addition it won the first-ever PATA award for Best International Heritage Hotel, in 2012.
In September 2012, it became the first hotel in Sri Lanka to be featured on a postage stamp, along with three other iconic buildings in Colombo.
History
![GFH (9)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/GFH_%289%29.jpg)
The hotel was originally built by four British entrepreneurs in 1864. Its name derives from the stretch of lawn which it faces, known as the
Galle Face Green
Galle Face is a ocean-side urban park, which stretches for along the coast, in the heart of Colombo, the financial and business capital of Sri Lanka. The promenade was initially laid out in 1859 by Governor Sir Henry George Ward, although t ...
. It began as a Dutch villa called Galle Face House. Land for the hotel's expansion was purchased between 1870 and 1894. In 1894, architect
Edward Skinner completed the design of the hotel's current south wing, and the property has remained largely unchanged until the present day, though with many extensive restorations.
Mignonne Fernando
Mignonne Fernando is a Sri Lankan singer, part of the popular group "The Jetliners".
Early life
Born Mignonette Malathi May Rutnam, she won Radio Ceylon's Talent Contest at the age of seven.
Her interest in law was overtaken by her passion fo ...
and ''The Jetliners'' regularly entertained guests at the Coconut Grove, the night club attached to the hotel. The venue was even popularised in a song.
Radio Ceylon
Radio Ceylon ( si, ලංකා ගුවන් විදුලි සේවය ''Lanka Guwan Viduli Sevaya'', ta, இலங்கை வானொலி, ''ilankai vanoli'') is a radio station based in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) and the first ...
recorded music programmes from the Coconut Grove as well as the Galle Face Hotel itself, presented by some of the popular Radio Ceylon announcers in the 1950s and 1960s, such as
Livy Wijemanne
Livy Wijemanne (1917-2002) as a pioneer of Radio Ceylon. He was one of Sri Lanka's greatest broadcasters. On 31 October 1948, the Post Master General (who was also the Director of Broadcasting) appointed the young announcer as an Assistant Contro ...
and
Vernon Corea
Vernon Corea (11 September 1927 – 23 September 2002) was a pioneer radio broadcaster with 45 years of public service broadcasting both in Sri Lanka and the UK. He joined Radio Ceylon, South Asia's oldest radio station, in 1956 and later the Sr ...
. Thousands listened to the broadcasts, particularly 'New Year's Eve' dances from the Galle Face Hotel.
D. G. William (known as 'Galle Face William'), the
Lanka Sama Samaja Party
The Lanka Sama Samaja Party, often abbreviated as LSSP (Literal translation, literally: Lanka Socialist Party, Sinhalese language, Sinhala: ලංකා සම සමාජ පක්ෂය, Tamil language, Tamil: லங்கா சமசமா ...
trade union
A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...
leader, first worked and organised workers here. The
Science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
author
Arthur C. Clarke wrote the final chapters of ''3001: The Final Odyssey'' in the hotel.
The hotel also employed the world's oldest hospitality industry veteran and doorman,
Kottarapattu Chattu ("K.C.") Kuttan. Joining the hotel as a bell boy cum waiter in 1942, he continued to serve until his death on 18 November 2014.
In April 2013, the north wing of the hotel began its refurbishment. In November 2014, It was announced by its new General Manager, Antony G. Paton, that it would formally reopen on 1 March 2015. The hotel reopened on 26 October 2015, being formally declared open by the President of Sri Lanka,
Maithripala Sirisena
Maithripala Yapa Sirisena ( si, පල්ලෙවත්ත ගමරාළලාගේ මෛත්රීපාල යාපා සිරිසේන; ta, பல்லேவத்த கமராளலாகே மைத்திரி ...
.
Facilities
Restaurants
![GFH (6)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/GFH_%286%29.jpg)
The Galle Face Hotel has Four restaurants, three bars and a pub. They are the 1864: Limited Edition fine dining restaurant (dinner only), King of the Mambo, a Cuban themed restaurant; Firebeach - a lounge bar and restaurant with a wood fired oven; a buffet restaurant known as The Verandah, Travellers' Bar, the Pool Bar, Chequerboard, and an English pub called "In.. On the Green". The open Verandah restaurant is the venue for the Afternoon Tea on the terrace.
Museum
The hotel features a museum and art gallery in its Regency Wing, which houses the first car that
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from El ...
owned, and several pieces of memorabilia from the hotel's history, including a gallery of famous guests. There is also an adjacent Library with two study rooms.
Pool
![GFH (1)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/GFH_%281%29.jpg)
The hotel has a small pool with sea water, that is situated very close to the Indian Ocean.
Chequerboard
There is a black and white square known as the Chequerboard, close to the King of the Mambo Restaurant. This is often used by guests to watch the sunset.
References
Literature
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External links
Official Website of the Galle Face Hotel
{{Coord, 6.9200, N, 79.8462, E, source:wikidata, display=title
Hotels in Colombo
Hotels established in 1864
Heritage hotels in Sri Lanka