GFH : Best heritage hotel of the East
View(s):Some of the most elegant and historic cultural icons of our times – vintage hotels – have withstood the ravages of time to emerge as icons, imbued with a regal charm that is unparalleled. These are some of the heritage hotels around the world, which enjoy an exalted status as the ultimate vintage luxury destinations of all time.
These architectural gems were discovered around the time the Suez Canal was opened for transatlantic steamers in 1869, thereby shortening the journey from the West to the East and promoting the early version of tourism as we know it today.
The Galle Face Hotel is privileged to be counted amongst one of these elite properties. The hotel stands proud as one of the oldest hotels east of the Suez in this exclusive group, a release from the hotel stated.
Founded in 1864, the Galle Face Hotel is one of the landmarks in Asia with a rich colonial history and is arguably one of the best heritage hotels in the world. The Galle Face Hotel was originally built by four British entrepreneurs and is among the few remaining colonial hotels in operation today in Asia.
In 2012 it became the first hotel in the country to be featured on a postage stamp. No visit to Sri Lanka is complete without staying at the elegant historic award winning hotel, which reflects the grandeur of a bygone era yet offering modern comfort for today’s traveller.
Despite many renovations over the years, the period detail of the Galle Face Hotel has been preserved in its architecture and façade.
Over the years, the hotel has housed royalty and celebrity and has played host to many well-known figures, world leaders and celebrities who have resided here, including royalty and heads of state, such as Emperor Hirohito of Japan, US President Richard Nixon, Alfonso XIII King of Spain, Pope John Paul II, HRH Prince Phillip Duke of Edinburgh and Indian Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and many more eminent personalities.
Galle Face Hotel has also played host to famous sporting personalities of yore such as Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Len Hutton and Mike Brearley. Many reputed performers, artistes and thespians have graced its portals, such as Somerset Maugham, Duke Ellington, Sir Carol Reed, Robert Rauschenberg, Steven Spielberg, Actors – Gregory Peck, Bo Derek, Harrison Ford, Roger Moore, Sir Alec Guinness, Vivien Leigh, Peter Finch, William Holden and Carrie Fisher.
The list of the others of our ilk reads like a veritable ‘Who’s Who’ in vintage luxury: The Raffles, Singapore, a stately mansion, opened its doors in 1887 and even today epitomises the romance of the Far East – an intoxicating blend of luxury, history and colonial design.
The hotel houses the legendary fine dining establishment, Raffles Grill; Long Bar, where the famous Singapore Sling was created; and Writers Bar, a tribute to the novelists and travel writers, who have become part of the hotel’s legend.
In neighbouring Malaysia, The Eastern and Oriental Hotel, which was established in 1885, has been simply known as `The E&O’ to generations of travellers. It has stood as a testament to the grand elegance of the British colonial era.
Another gem, The Hotel Metropole Hanoi, was built in 1901 by two private French investors, with the hotel quickly becoming the rendezvous point for colonial society in the first half of the century.
The next gem can be discovered in Myanmar. Declared ‘the finest hostelry East of Suez’ by John Murray in his Handbook for Travellers written in the early 20th century, the 1901-built three-storey 5-star Strand Myanmar hotel in Yangon remains one of the Southeast Asia’s few grand colonial hotels and one of its most awe inspiring. It was built in 1901 by the ambitious Sarkies brothers.
Closer home, the Imperial Hotel India was conceptualised in 1934 by Blomfield and inaugurated by Lord Willingdon in 1936, The Imperial is a fine confluence of a rich historical past and a slick international appeal.
The irresistible charm of the Galle Face Hotel in its newly refurbished avatar which retains the vintage, colonial ambience and façade is an icon that stands apart from modern counterparts. Its elegance, charm and timeless history make it the jewel of Sri Lanka.