Radisson Blu Resort, Galle — Hotel in Galle

Disappointing Stay with my family – Much Room for Improvement

We recently stayed at this hotel and had high hopes, but unfortunately, our experience left us quite disappointed. Room Experience – Far from a "Junior Suite" We stayed in what was described as a Junior Suite, though how the hotel justifies that title is baffling. The room was extremely underwhelming. The bed had a noticeable unpleasant smell, and the duvet emitted an odor throughout the night, making it very uncomfortable. My wife had bed bug bites around her hips and they need to seriously look in to these issues. The bathroom lacked basic amenities like shower gel and offered no bath tub, which was surprising for a suite.
The balcony was massive but poorly maintained—it retained rainwater, had uncleared glass, rusted outdoor lights, and overall felt neglected. Frankly, I could write a book about the disappointing atmosphere of the room. Food Quality – Needs a Serious Overhaul The food was a major letdown. Everything we tried was overly oily and lacked flavor. My seafood platter was especially poor—the prawns were not cleaned properly, which is a basic requirement any professional kitchen should meet. The dishes served often didn’t match the descriptions on the menu, indicating a lack of attention or culinary discipline. Service – Quick but Not Thoughtful While the staff were prompt and responsive, there was a clear lack of attentiveness and empathy. No one proactively asked if we needed drinks before dinner or offered finger bowls when serving messy seafood—small but important touches that were missing. The service felt mechanical rather than hospitable. Breakfast service was much better comparatively, below par compared to other properties down south. Cleanliness of Tableware – Needs Attention Another concern was the cleanliness of plates and cutlery. They were not properly polished—spots and stains were visible. I ended up wiping them down myself with paper tissues before using them, which is far from acceptable in any hotel setting. One Bright Spot – The Pool Bar Bartender The only standout experience was at the pool bar. The bartender there was excellent—he was attentive, understood my request for a Negroni (which wasn’t even on the menu), and delivered a near-perfect one. His professionalism was appreciated and was, frankly, the only highlight of our stay. However, even that moment was short-lived, as the portion of French fries we ordered with the drinks was over-fried and tasted like wooden sticks.

Checkout - was a disaster They didn’t update our payments, asking us to provide information, holding us at the reception, going in circles to resolve a simple payment update. we had to load baggage to our car as the only staff present at the concierge was busy serving one other customer.

Management – Aware But Needs to Act One of the managers did take the time to speak with me, and I got the sense that they are aware of the issues. That said, awareness is only useful if it's followed by meaningful, timely action—which this property desperately needs.

Final Verdict:
I don’t know how they for the 5 star ratings, it’s highly questionable, yet this hotel has potential, but unless serious improvements are made—particularly to cleanliness, food quality, and attention to detail—it will continue to disappoint guests. I hope the management takes this feedback seriously and initiates corrective...

The worst Radisson I've ever stayed at (and I'm a VIP Radisson member). This property is not deserving of its 5-star rating.

Rooms are dated and full of mould and dust. A simple painting-over would have solved some of it but the management here do not seem to care about the finer details. The entire hotel feels unclean. There was even mould in the public toilets, and tables by the pool look like they have not been wiped in months.

We complained several times and were told they were fully booked. Even though the Radisson app showed available rooms for the second night of our stay, they did not offer a change of room for one night and kept saying they are fully booked. We had to request many different people to have the room cleaned but I don't think they know how to address mould or deep-set dust issues. We even asked for the manager to email us so we can complain but were never contacted.

The staff members at the pool and breakfast are very nice and helpful, but all the front desk staff, who should be the ones offering the best service, seem uninterested in doing more than the bare minimum. We met the manager in person and explained to him how unhappy we were, and we were offered zero compensation. He even saw us on check out and did not ask about our stay. As a Radisson VIP guest this is unacceptable. I guess they get enough "reviewers" to give them good reviews on Google so they aren't concerned with genuine feedback. We also had to keep telling them about our 15% discount as VIP, for which they were only offering 10% discount (which is the regular rewards discount).

Overall the service here needs some serious work. Having stayed in three other hotels on this Sri Lanka trip, this one did not live up to the Sri Lankan hospitality and it is way below international standard. For eg the rooms are not properly stocked with towels, and when we requested more towels they cleaned the room and left even LESS towels (2 bath towels. That was it!). 20 minutes before we checked out, housekeeping was ringing the doorbell and then opened the door even though we were still in the room. One morning we left the room and housekeeping who was outside asked if we wanted cleaning to which we replied yes. We came back 6 hours later in the evening to find the room not cleaned. These are just the little things that expose a management problem, in addition to the cleanliness issues in the room.

The hotel got some stars from me since the room had a beautiful view overlooking the beach, and the beachfront part of the hotel is quite enjoyable with lots of loungers and day beds. The beach itself was too rough for us to bathe while we were there, but the pool is large and they even had free water aerobics on mornings and a movie playing at night. The breakfast selection was also good and the bed and pillows in the room were comfy.

I definitely would not be staying at this...

We recently stayed at Radisson Blu Galle and had an overall enjoyable experience, although there were a few areas for improvement.

Check-in took place in the lounge, which felt exclusive and set a positive first impression. However, the traditional lighting of the lamp, was not done for us. We did notice this was performed for another family checking in at the same time in front of us, which was disappointing.

Initially, my wife and I were placed in a junior suite. This was welcomed at no extra cost for the first night and small fee for the other 2 nights. We did have an issue with the room. After discussing this with the friendly and helpful staff, we were moved to a one-bedroom suite that suited us perfectly and greatly enhanced our stay.

We had booked three rooms for our family. Unfortunately, despite us being out for the majority of the day, the rooms had not been serviced upon our return. We had to request housekeeping, and our mothers’ and sons’ rooms had not been attended to at all, which fell below expectations.

The restaurant staff were consistently warm and accommodating. The Executive Chef stood out in particular, he was engaging, approachable, and could often be seen interacting with guests. He and his team prepared a superb ribbon cake for my birthday.

During the first two nights of our three-night stay, the outdoor food stations at the restaurant were not set up. While this may have been due to guest numbers, we felt these stations should be available regardless, to maintain the full dining experience.

The restaurant bar manager was especially attentive and ensured we were well looked after. The lady who welcomed us each evening was gracious and made us feel truly welcome. It was clear that the waiters and chefs were well-trained and genuinely dedicated to providing excellent service.

The pool area was clean, inviting, and maintained at a comfortable temperature. However, we had an unpleasant interaction with the pool attendant, who rather abruptly insisted that I shower before entering. His manner came across as unnecessarily harsh rather than polite guidance. He also made a confusing comment about my son’s rashie possibly being cotton, though the reason for this was unclear.

A highlight is the happy hour, which takes place twice daily, a fantastic inclusion. However, it is offered only at the rooftop bar not at the pool, which seemed unusual. We eventually decided to enjoy it there in our swimmers, and the bartender provided us with excellent service throughout.

Overall, Radisson Blu Galle offers beautiful facilities, friendly staff, and some memorable touches. However, there is room for improvement in terms of consistency and guest communication. We would still recommend it and look forward to seeing these areas enhanced...