Mount Lavinia Hotel

It is filthy. Everything is broken. Water drips from ceiling. One pillow on our bed did not hav a pillow slip and was mouldy and stained. I could go on and on. I would like to add pictures but not sure how. On arrival the hotel reception is exciting and as you would imagine. Behind the scenes is a different story entirely.

Not what I was expecting … two hours to check us in as they couldn’t find our booking! They asked for my confirmation and passports 6 or seven times at least. I finally got my uk travel agent to speak to them to sort it.

Finally we got a room which was on a damp corridor with water dripping from the ceiling. On opening the room it was full of flies and the bedsheets had something that looked like blood on them.

It took me a lot less time to check out !

I booked this hotel via their website in May. When we went to check in this evening, they couldn't find the booking despite my showing the confirmation email and wanted me to pay yet again for a room. Check-in was very poor; we weren't offered help with luggage; and to cap it all, there is apparently no hot water. And the receptionist said that MANAGEMENT ARE AWARE OF THIS BUT DO NOTHING! I shall be reporting them to the SLTB for this reason, as a 4* hotel has to offer hot water at least.
We used to patronise Mount Lavinia when I lived and worked here 15 years ago; now, I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole.

We stayed at the Mount Lavinia Hotel for two nights, on 7 and 8 August, as we were hosting a buffet lunch to celebrate my sister’s 70th birthday.
Unfortunately, our stay got off to a very disappointing start. When we arrived, the hotel could not find our reservation. After waiting for more than an hour, I had to contact our travel agent in Australia to help resolve the issue. Eventually, the reservation was located, and we were given Room 108.
The room itself was spacious, and the bed was comfortable. However, there were some maintenance issues that needed attention. Several floor tiles were loose and cracked, creating a potential tripping hazard. Another major issue was the lack of hot water throughout the hotel during our stay, which is something the hotel management needs to address urgently. The hotel itself also appears quite run-down, with water leaking from the corridor roof, and would benefit from some renovation and general refurbishment. Given its history and beautiful location, the property has so much potential, and it would be wonderful to see it restored to its former glory.
That said, Governor’s Restaurant was a different story. Everything ran smoothly, and we would like to give a special mention to Kumari, who did a fantastic job making sure all our party guests were well looked after. Her care and attention helped make the birthday celebration a success. The hotel also arranged a birthday cake for my sister, and it was absolutely delicious! Overall, while there were some significant issues with the hotel facilities and our check-in experience, the excellent service from Kumari and the team at Governor’s Restaurant made a positive difference to our special celebration.
With some much-needed investment, particularly in the hot-water system and renovations, Mount Lavinia Hotel could once again be a truly outstanding place to stay and celebrate special occasions.

The hotel was in shambles. Once we arrived it took a decent amount of time for them to prepare our rooms. On top of that our rooms were unhygienic, unsanitary and unsafe to stay in with visible mould. I’m shocked to see how this hotel has taken a turn for the worst.

Hot water not working. Such a bad smell in the room.. so compact u can literally see plates and glasses kept on the stairs or on the foor and is filled with cockroaches, ac is not working, there is no door mat , tv was not working properly the phone in the room was not working properly and because of the bad smell couldnt even sleep. This place looks so old and full of dust.. never come here because u will regret..very dirty full of cockroaches and service is the worst when we went there they didnt know that we have booked and literally we had to wait for morethan 1 hour and when the room got ready there was no water or extra bed as we requested for extra beds too.. WORST HOTEL

Good from far, far from good. The worst hotel I’ve ever stayed in. I booked for a group of 10 and every single room has been filthy, stained sheets, no hot water, horrible service, rude front of house receptionists, broken tiles, water leaks, F&B staff lacks courtesy. We changed 3 rooms in 2 days.
The much hyped breakfast is terrible, with flies and cockroaches everywhere.
We paid for the rooms in advance and now we have 2 days to go on our holiday, and we are left to go through this misery.

I travel a lot around the world and this is hands down the worst of them all. A horrible experience which is sad considering Sri Lanka is a a beautiful place with heartwarming people. Enjoy the architecture from the outside and take a U turn to find another hotel in Colombo.

Our stay at Mount Lavinia Hotel was one of the worst hotel experiences we have ever had. As tourists visiting Sri Lanka, we were travelling with young children and an elderly family member, so cleanliness, safety, and basic hospitality were especially important to us. Unfortunately, the hotel failed on every level.

The hygiene standards were extremely poor. We encountered insects and cockroaches associated with the food service, which was both shocking and deeply concerning. This raised serious concerns about food safety and the health of our family, particularly our children and our elderly relative.

The staff showed very little professionalism or hospitality. Rather than treating our concerns with urgency and empathy, we felt dismissed throughout our stay.

There was also no hot water available, and we were told this had been an ongoing issue since COVID. This is unacceptable for a hotel that promotes itself as a premium destination, especially when accommodating families with children and elderly guests.

What disappointed us most was the management's refusal to take responsibility for these issues. Instead of acknowledging the problems and working towards a resolution, our complaints were not taken seriously.

As international tourists, this experience was extremely distressing and has left us with a very negative impression. Based on what we experienced, I believe the relevant government health authorities should inspect this property to verify that it complies with food safety, hygiene, and public health standards. Until significant improvements are made, I cannot recommend Mount Lavinia Hotel to anyone, especially families travelling with children or elderly relatives.

We booked an Ocean View Twin room through Agoda well in advance. Our booking was confirmed on 19 June, and we arrived at the hotel on 17 July at around 1:45 PM, knowing that check-in starts at 2:00 PM.
At first, we were welcomed at the gate with a smile, which gave us a good first impression. However, we were not offered a welcome drink or even a glass of water.
When we reached the reception, the staff seemed unaware of our booking. We were told to wait in the lobby, so we went for lunch while they sorted it out.
The lunch was excellent, and the restaurant and bar staff were outstanding—professional, friendly, welcoming, and always smiling. They were the highlight of our visit.
After lunch, we returned to the lobby and asked about our room. We were told it was “being prepared.” We waited another 1 and half hours before asking again. The reception staff had no clear answer and kept talking among themselves in Sinhala while we stood there waiting. We felt ignored, and no one kept us updated or apologized for the delay.
After standing for a while, we sat back down and ended up waiting for over two hours without any meaningful assistance. We then contacted Agoda for help. Agoda attempted to reach the hotel for 1 hour and 27 minutes, but no one answered.
Mount Lavinia Hotel is a beautiful historic property with stunning architecture, but unfortunately, the poor service at reception completely overshadowed the experience. A beautiful building cannot make up for a lack of communication, organization, and basic customer care.

We left to another hotel after that since we dont wanna fight

Sadly, based on our experience, I cannot recommend this hotel. If you value good customer service and a smooth check-in experience, you may want to consider staying elsewhere.

The hotel had no water fresh drinking water, bottles, even after 24 hours the staff left our room door open, air con not working, tv not working, felt unsafe, we checked out and did not get a refund for the days we were told we would , two other rooms checked out also. it became apparent the owner has not paid his staff for four months

Having visited many times over 25 years this morning en route to the hotel (2 hrs away) we received a call cancelling our booking because there was no hot water or air con. I find it hard to believe that a 4 star hotel does not have a maintenance team to resolve this issue and can only presume we were cancelled for the benefit of other guests. During a later conversation with reception we found out the hotel was fully booked and had a wedding function on. They suggested we try to book a nearby hotel and gave us the name of it to enquire ourselves. Absolutely the worst customer care experience I have ever come across in my 25 years of visiting Sri Lanka.

Location had a nice view and not too far from shops and places to eat.
The pool was nice. Most of the staff were nice too.
The place is just run down and needs some updates, our room had cockroaches, a wet towel as a front door mat collecting a drip from the ceiling, the bed sheets didn’t fit the bed, they weren’t prepared with our requests for an additional kids bed which was asked for months before arrival. The door to the fridge was broken, the toilet seat was broken, and it wasn’t the cleanest.
The breakfast was lovely though.

It truly breaks my heart to write this, but the hotel is an absolute disaster! The buildings are in a state of disrepair, and the service was just shocking from the start. We waited hours past check-in for rooms that reeked, had muddy footprints, and curtains with blood-like stains. A window wouldn't even lock! They just said it was the best they could do. Such a letdown.

This used to be one of the best hotels in Colombo, and it's such a shame to see what it's become. You might get special offers etc that might seem tempting, but I urge you to look at other options.. there are much nicer places to stay in Colombo. I sincerely hope they get their act together.

I had my worst experience at Hotel Lavinia during my trip to Srilanka.

AC’s in the Room were not operational in both the Rooms.
Complaint were never attended on time.
We were charged for a Night which we did not stay. On escalating it to Mr Lal (GM of the Hotel) he promised to refund the charges for 1 Room, but still after 4 Months I am yet to get my Refund.

Cashier Kalpani had me fill the refund form but it is not yet processed

I would never recommend anybody to stay in this Hotel

The worst hotel I have ever stayed in! That’s not a stay; I checked out within 2 hours of checking in due to the unbearable smell of mould in the rooms and corridors! This is one of the worst hotels — so-called hotels! Butlers escorted guests through those musty, mouldy corridors without hesitation. Even the picture frames were covered in fungi! Towels and bed sheets were stained. No proper lighting; some lights were broken. The room was extremely stinky. No water was provided despite three calls to the front desk! The hot water was broken. We couldn’t tolerate the smell and felt nauseous. I asked for a room change or an upgrade with extra payment, but they didn’t bother to care. So we checked out immediately, even without asking for a refund. Never, ever try this hotel!

I stayed at Mount Lavinia Hotel from July 17–20, 2026. The room was spacious, well-equipped, and the breakfast was excellent. However, the check-in was delayed until about 3:30 PM despite the 2:00 PM check-in time. Overall, it was a comfortable stay with great dining, but a faster check-in process would make the experience much better.

Desk staff unhelpful. Arrived 2pm, check in time but still not received keys an hour later. Shocking service.

DO NOT GO. This is the worst hotel we have ever been to. We were booked for 3 nights and left after the first. No towels, no hot water, air conditioning and t.v not working and pretty dirty. We requested help 5 times and no one came. Unfortunately what was once a grand hotel is now terrible.

What you see, is noting compared to what you get!”
We booked Mount Lavinia because of its rich heriftage. The hotel promotes itself beautifully on social media but it is no where even close to a 5star resort. I would rate it as a 3star overall. We checked in late at about 9pm and were made to wait as the receptionist informed us that the hotel had run short of room keys. The first room we got was a garden facing where I had paid for a sea facing. The rooms are in the most horrendous conditions, there was fresh urine stains on the pot. The tiles in the room were broken and covered with a dirty carpet. The front desk changed our room to another room which was equally dirty. Finally after an hour of waiting and been shuffled around, we asked for a manager who immediately upgraded us to a suite. The suite was comfortable but I was unable to trust the hotel where it came to cleanliness. The only plus point to the hotel was the breakfast. It had a marvelous spread of a variety of cuisines. Overall Mount Lavinia is beautiful but very poorly maintained. The staff seem to be struggling to work with what they have. As we were not the only guest complaining that the hotel seems to hoodwinking people on being a 5star where it just about qualifies as a 3. I wouldnt recommend this hotel purely based on the cleanliness factor.

I went to Hotel Mount Lavinia with my family. We are members of Club Mahindra for the last 12years and have stayed in various properties of Club Mahindra as well as associate resort. This Hotel just boasts of history but cannot honor the basic comfort to its partnered hotel. This was the first time we had such a pitiful experience. The rooms given to the CM members were the worst ones , poorly maintained and in pitiful state. inspite of paying a high amount on associate fees. There was mildew in the rooms and the walls were full of humidity . The mirrors and floor tiles was all spoilt. Even the lawns outside the CM rooms were not maintained whereas the rest of the property was better.Also the restaurant of the hotel charged double to the CM members for all meals. While their own direct guests enjoyed meals at a much cheaper price and enjoyed good rooms on a good floor. CM members are given side rooms with poor maintaince and bad service. I put up alot of complaints whislt in the hotel itself but neither the hotel nor CM helped or did anything to ease my discomfort at the hotel property. PLEASE DO NOT WASTE YOUR HOLIDAY INVENTORY NOR PAY THE FEE FOR THIS VERY BOGUS HOTEL.