I don't understand all the negative reviews. Yes, the Grand Oriental Hotel has seen better days and everything is quite aged and out of date. It needs a little love and lots of renovations. But given the price you pay to stay in this historical colonial building, I'd say it's very good value. You can't expect Hilton standards for 33$ a night. I stayed in room 306, which is truly more of a suite when you consider its size. Yes, the furniture is old and the bathroom is straight out of the 80s, but there is a lot of charm and history here. AC was a little loud, though. Bed was comfortable and the wifi worked well throughout the hotel. The staff was always nice and polite. The restaurant on the 4th floor was good value, especially the buffet breakfast. The hotel is a 10-minute walk or a short tuktuk ride from the train station. Glad I stayed here.

The room was huge and high with grand old four poster bed. There was also settee and upholstered chairs. High windows. Room is bright and sunny with curtains. Would i stay again? Yes, because it has a feel of a bygone charming world.

The wi fi was a problem. Cant understand why it has to be refreshed every 4 hours. It's annoying. Both times i requested certain rooms, they did not oblige. I stayed twice. The plug points are old - need to be replaced.

The location was great. The port view from the restaurant was nice. The breakfast buffet was tasty. The building is massive and really cool, especially if you like old colonial architecture. Value for money was right on. I got exactly what I expected from reading the description here and reviews from other guests.

Like all the other reviews have said, the building and rooms are outdated and in desperate need of updating/renovation. The main entry smelled weird and so did the bathroom in our room.

Dining area overlooking the docks - a great view. Room was large & comfortable. Breakfast was good. Staff were great.

Spacious room. Little bit older but in good condition. Located in Fort, Colombo where main train and bus stations are in walking distance. Ample food places closer by.

This is a fine, old-fashioned hotel, conveniently situated near Pettah. My room was very large, with colonial-style furniture. It had an individual a/c unit. There is a restaurant on the top floor which has a good breakfast buffet. The lobby is large and very pleasant.

At the time of our visit, January 2025, a large road is being built literally alongside the hotel's upper floors, so there is a lot of noise, particularly at night. (Once this road is completed, the noise of the building will presumably be replaced by the noise of traffic zooming past!) Things are a bit tired, though, and we had difficulty in getting a bedside lamp.

Very good bar food, friendly waitresses and fabulous interior. Well air-condiotioned, high ceilings.

A request for a simple item took an hour to bear fruit, but this wasn't much of a problem.

We like the location of the hotel. It was in the center place. Many attractions are at walking distance. The famous Pettah market was located at 10 minutes walk. Dutch Hospital and Port city were also at 7 to 10 minutes walk. There is a small food joint just opposite of the hotel at ground floor at the corner of the opposite building. Where we get the water, tea/coffee, snacks and packed lunch etc. That was opened on every day between 8 AM to 6.30 PM. Tuk tuk stand was just outside of the hotel.

No nearby restaurants. Except Dutch Hospital where we find many restaurants. But that is almost at 7 minutes walk.

The staff of the hotel were very welcoming. Service in the restaurant was very good especially when they provided me with some cake after they found out is was my 70th birthday while I stayed there. The staff alone make a good reason to return.

The hotel certainly needs money invested in the fabric of the building. It could be an excellent place to stay and great value for money. I hope it does because the staff already provide an attitude that does deserve the money spent on maintenance and facilities.

I loved going g back in a time warp to imagine what Ceylon would have been like. A grand old establishment created by the British, of course they had to created home comforts. Quite nostalgic and eerie at the same time. I loved the 4th floor restaurant. If you're coming to stay, it's a great buffet with a view and really well priced.

Like all the reviews, things barely working, although that's part of the olde worlde charm. Mozzies quite hungry...