The Galle Face Hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka

According to my (outdated) guidebook, the Galle Face Hotel claims to be the oldest hotel in Asia, having opened its doors in 1856 [1]. I find this claim rather bold, given the fact that the Japanese hotel Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan (西山温泉慶雲館) began operations about 1,300 years ago [2]. And even sticking to Sri Lanka, there is also the Queen's Hotel in Kandy [3]. I stayed at both hotels this time. The Queen's has been around since 1840, when it operated as a hostel under the name of Malabar House. It changed owners in 1869 and was renamed the Queen's Hotel. Well, opinions may differ on the matter, but the Galle Face Hotel in Colombo has certainly made a name for itself over the past 170 years [4]. I was already familiar with the hotel from my earlier visits in the 1970ies; back then, we used to enjoy heading from Wellawatta to either the Galle Face Hotel or the Mount Lavinia Hotel in the evening for a drink at the bar. But let’s take a closer look at the Galle Face Hotel nowadays.

The hotel has been refurbished, but still retains the atmosphere of times gone by. Some reaking doors, stairs or floor boards can still be found. I was somewhat surprised in the evening when the Sri Lankan flag was lowered to the sound of bagpipes. However, the picture becomes clearer when you look at the list of celebrity guests. The late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, stayed at the hotel, and one of his cars is on display in the hotel's museum section. Although the hotel boasts three bars and a pub, I didn't visit any of them this time; after an overnight flight, we had stayed up all day, and I was understandably tired.

 

Links and Annotations:
[1] Apa Guides: Sri Lanka. Hongkong 1995. ISBN: 3-8268-1362-6. P. 114.
Well, according to Wikipedia the Galle Face Hotel has been founded in 1864 [4].
[2] It's an onsen ryokan (温泉旅館) and has been founded in the year 705 by Fujiwara no Mahito (藤原真人).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nishiyama_Onsen_Keiunkan  and
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%85%B6%E9%9B%B2%E9%A4%A8_(%E6%97%85%E9%A4%A8) 
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen%27s_Hotel,_Kandy 
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galle_Face_Hotel 

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