ITC Ratnadipa, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Colombo — Hotel in Colombo

A Disappointing Stay at ITC Ratnadipa Colombo – Style Over Substance

The ITC Ratnadipa Colombo undoubtedly makes an impressive first impression, with its striking architecture and stunning nighttime lighting.

The suspended bridge bar offers good cocktails and wine, and the live entertainment was exceptional, but unfortunately, these were the only highlights of our stay.

From check-in, it became evident that form had been prioritized over function. Despite being a Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Platinum Elite Member, there was no recognition or acknowledgment of status.

We had booked a Tower Suite with a sea-facing balcony, but it turned out to be a cramped studio-style room with poor design choices. The kidney-shaped layout made it awkwardly configured, with no full-length mirror, a large luggage room with a faulty light sensor, and a bathroom lacking basic amenities, including an insufficient supply of toilet paper. The spacious shower area had a misplaced shower head, causing water to leak into the bathroom.

The balcony was long but impractical, with an outward-opening door that, due to high winds, became difficult—if not impossible, to close. Though the view was excellent, the wind made spending time outside unbearable.

Service & Housekeeping Issues: Housekeeping was unreliable, welcome fruits and canapés remained in the room for three days, rotting and covered in mold, despite repeated requests for removal.

Room service was appalling, more than half of the advertised menu was unavailable, and the limited options that were available were of subpar quality.

The 24-hour restaurant faced the same issue, many dishes were simply not available, and what was available did not meet expectations.

The TV inexplicably turned on at high volume at random hours of the night, requiring an engineer’s intervention on two of the three nights we stayed.

Location & Accessibility: Unlike other luxury hotels in Colombo, ITC Ratnadipa has no attached shopping mall. Guests must walk along the main road and pass through multiple security checkpoints just to reach the Shangri-La’s mall next door, which is an inconvenience for a hotel of this category.

🤬A Frustrating Check-Out Experience: After three nights of disappointing service and an overall lack of entertainment, we decided to check out early and move next door to the Shangri-La Hotel. However, this turned into an unnecessary ordeal.

Although the Marriott Bonvoy app listed no extended stay requirements, the hotel attempted to charge us for the full seven nights.

Despite notifying the reception the night before and receiving confirmation that our early departure would not be an issue, the check-out staff refused to acknowledge it.

The situation escalated when the receptionist became rude and aggressive, dismissing our confirmed reservation terms and insisting that ITC Ratnadipa had separate, unadvertised policies.

After a series of frustrating calls to the Marriott Bonvoy Help Desk, they confirmed that the hotel was in the wrong and escalated the issue. Eventually, an assistant manager intervened, resolving the matter after nearly three hours of unnecessary back-and-forth.

☝️Final Verdict: While the ITC Ratnadipa Colombo looks spectacular from the outside, the poorly designed rooms, inconsistent service, lack of essential amenities, and unprofessional check-out process made this one of the most disappointing luxury hotel experiences we’ve had. After moving to the Shangri-La next door, we finally received the level of service and comfort we had expected in the first place.

✌️For those considering a stay here, I would strongly recommend exploring other five-star...

A Disappointing Customer Service Experience at ITC Colombo Hotel

I recently encountered a disappointing experience with the customer service at ITC Colombo Hotel, which fell far short of the standards one expects from a luxury establishment. My attempt to secure a dinner reservation exposed a lack of organization, responsiveness, and professionalism, highlighting significant service gaps that ITC Colombo must address if it hopes to compete with top-tier hotels like the Shangri-La.

The issue began when I called the hotel in the morning to book a dinner reservation. To my surprise, I was informed that reservations for dinner could not be made until after 10 a.m. This seemed odd, as most reputable hotels have seamless systems for booking at any time of day. Nevertheless, I waited and called back later, only to be told that there was no availability. This inconsistency in information not only wasted my time but also demonstrated a lack of coordination and clear communication among staff.

Frustrated by this experience, I requested to speak to the food and beverage manager, hoping to escalate my concern and find a solution. Unfortunately, this only added to my dissatisfaction. After being placed on hold for several minutes, the call was abruptly disconnected. Thinking this was a mistake, I called back, but the situation worsened. This time, I was placed on hold for a staggering 12 minutes. By then, my patience had worn thin, and I ultimately decided to hang up. The entire experience was both frustrating and unprofessional, leaving me with the impression that guest concerns are not a priority at ITC Colombo.

As someone who was staying at the Shangri-La during this trip, the contrast between the two hotels was striking. Every interaction I had with the Shangri-La staff was efficient, courteous, and solution-focused. Whether it was handling dining reservations or addressing general inquiries, the Shangri-La team demonstrated a commitment to guest satisfaction that ITC Colombo clearly lacks. This comparison underscores the importance of consistent, high-quality customer service in maintaining a hotel's reputation.

ITC Colombo’s failure to handle a straightforward request like a dinner reservation reflects poorly on its operational efficiency and staff training. Luxury hotels are expected to provide not just premium amenities but also impeccable service that ensures a seamless experience for guests. Unfortunately, ITC Colombo’s customer service fell far short of this benchmark.

This experience raises broader questions about the hotel’s readiness to compete in Colombo’s luxury hospitality market. Service excellence is the cornerstone of any successful hotel, and ITC Colombo’s inability to deliver even basic guest support is a significant drawback. If ITC wants to establish itself as a rival to the Shangri-La and other leading hotels, it must invest in training its staff, streamlining its operations, and fostering a culture that prioritizes guest satisfaction.

In conclusion, ITC Colombo has a long way to go before it can match the standards set by its competitors. My experience was disappointing, and it served as a reminder that true luxury lies not just in a hotel’s physical attributes but in how it treats its guests. Until ITC addresses these service gaps, I will continue to prefer hotels like the Shangri-La, where excellence is not just an aspiration...

After having an issue at the apartment I was staying in, I made a last minute booking at the ITC which was located just a few minutes away. It was just a 1 night stay which I booked using Marriott points.

ITC ONE WATERFRONT ROOM: this is the second category room on offer, priced only a little bit higher than the entry level Towers room in either cash or points terms. It definitely didn’t feel like a second category room however, with an advertised 70m of space and a funky curved design due to its corner location. The two highlights of the room were the opulent bathroom and the sprawling wraparound balcony which included ocean views on one side and city views on the other. There was a lot of tech in the room such as electric drapes and a full iPad controller which included room service, lighting, etc. On the whole the room felt very high-end and luxurious, and I don’t think there is any other hotel in Colombo on the same level. It was easily a couple of notches above the Shangri-La hotel next door which I have stayed in previously.

POOL: the hotel has a long, narrow infinity pool with ocean views. It is not the largest of areas with perhaps a dozen sun loungers or so plus a few day beds, but it was beautifully designed and the views were excellent, especially around sunset time. I liked the house music soundtrack playing during the daytime, and it seemed a great place to chill out and forget you were in a city centre. My chill was however disrupted when I received a bill of 7.5k rupees (£20) for a single cocktail!

F&B: due to the hotel being very busy over the Xmas period, breakfast had been moved down into a large banquet hall. This made for quite an awkward and sterile atmosphere given the hall was far too large for the number of guests. That said it was still pretty chaotic with the host struggling to seat people and queues building up at the entrance. The food itself was decent enough without being particularly memorable. We also visited the bar at the hotel, which had good service and decent cocktails, but was surprisingly quiet at the time.

SERVICE: patchy overall. Staff members were very friendly and we did have some pleasant interactions at the bar and pool, but there were also some unwarranted delays, for example at check-in where they asked me to take a seat and then left me there for 30 minutes without any information, or for a room service order at 12am for a single dessert which took almost an hour to deliver. I appreciate the hotel only opened 6 months ago, but still would have expected things to run a bit more smoothly.

LOCATION: prime location along Galle Face beach but this is also true of several other hotels all clustered in the same area. The ever popular One Galle Face shopping mall is just around the corner albeit there are often queues to get in. Several other restaurants and shops are just a short taxi or tuk tuk ride away.

CONCLUSION: as of December 2024 this was the newest and flashiest luxury hotel in Colombo and I was quite impressed with the overall standard of the hotel. It was a short stay but our room as well as the swimming pool made a very positive impression. The slow service did detract from the experience however and I hope this will be...