The Galle Fort Hotel in

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 ...

is a 12-room boutique hotel, situated inside Galle Fort,

Galle Galle ( si, ගාල්ල, translit=Gālla; ta, காலி, translit=Kāli) (formerly Point de Galle) is a major city in Sri Lanka, situated on the southwestern tip, from Colombo. Galle is the provincial capital and largest city of Souther ...

. The building was originally constructed in the 17th century, during the Dutch colonial period, as a private dwelling.

Historical background

Galle Fort was built on 16th century by the Portuguese. It was then taken over by the Dutch in 1640. The Dutch improved and modified the buildings inside with Dutch architecture. In 1988,

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

(United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) listed Galle Fort as a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

. In 1999 the Sri Lankan government lifted the 100% tax on foreign ownership, which resulted in Australian, Karl Steinberg, and his Malaysian partner Christopher Ong purchasing a dilapidated 17th century Dutch merchant's house in Galle Fort. They spent two years renovating the house, which is the biggest in Galle, according to traditional building techniques and using local craftsmen. The house was turned into a 12-room boutique hotel and named Galle Fort Hotel.Sharen Kaur
Turning decrepit historic homes into luxurious boutique hotels
''Nst.com.my'', 4 July 2020 The hotel survived the

2004 tsunami An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Suma ...

. In 2007 it was awarded the

UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Awards UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Awards (since 2000) are given with as the strategic purpose of UNESCO with in the region Asia Pacific. The objective is to motivate the protection of Cultural Heritage sites, which are initiated by any individual organi ...

of Distinction, for heritage conservation. The citation included the following:

''This carefully considered transformation of an abandoned historic residential compound into a stylish luxury boutique hotel has evocatively captured the spirit of place of the colonial World Heritage fortified town of Galle. The restoration has been carried out with sensitivity to the historic fabric and the surrounding urban context, retaining the buildings modest scale and street façade. The removal of unsympathetic elements has revealed the original Dutch Villa and its later English architectural Dutch influences, while the elegant interior design and modern additions have added new layers of meaning. The restoration was undertaken using local expertise and craftsmanship.''

The hotel was the winner of 'Sri Lanka's Leading Boutique Hotel' at the 2010 World Travel Awards. In 2011 it was purchased by Colombo Fort Hotels, an associate company of Lankem Ceylon PLC, for $7.0m (USD). The Galle Fort Hotel is a member of the network Small Luxury Hotels of the World.Jeri Clausing
Hyatt uplifts loyalty program with Small Luxury Hotels partnership
''Travelweekly.com'', 1 August 2018

Literature

References

External links

Galle Fort Hotel official website
Hotels in Galle Hotels established in 2001 Boutique hotels in Sri Lanka {{SriLanka-struct-stub

Historical background

Literature

See also

References

External links