Grand Serendib Hotel

It was good

Good location, but disappointing dining service and poor complaint handling The hotel is in a good location, but the facilities are fairly average. The room also had an unpleasant odor, which affected the overall stay. What disappointed me most was the restaurant service. I ordered a cup of black tea and had to remind the staff at least three times before it finally arrived. First, they brought an empty cup. After asking two more times, the tea finally came. The restaurant was not particularly busy, yet the staff seemed more focused on clearing plates than serving drinks. Since tea and coffee are not self-service and must be brought by the staff, the slow service was especially frustrating. My biggest issue, however, was with the restaurant billing. At dinner, I ordered a 1-litre bottle of mineral water, which was listed at LKR 500. When it was time to pay, I noticed the bill showed a 625ml branded bottled water instead, priced at LKR 850. After service charge and taxes, it came to over LKR 1,100. The price itself was not the main issue. The real problem was how this was handled. When I asked for an explanation, I was told that the mineral water I had ordered was out of stock. If that was the case, the staff should have informed me in advance and given me the option to either cancel the order or accept a replacement. Instead, the substitution was made without any notice, leaving it to the customer to discover the difference only when checking the bill. I always review my bills carefully, but if I had not done so, I likely would never have noticed. I raised this issue with the lobby manager, but it was handled very unprofessionally. There was not even a proper apology. For a hotel ranked No. 1 among Trip.com’s 4-star premium hotels, this was extremely disappointing. I would not recommend this hotel, mainly because of the room odor and the concern that customers may be misled in the restaurant. The front desk staff were acceptable, but the way the complaint was handled was far below what I would expect from a top-ranked premium hotel. This experience seriously made me question how this hotel achieved such a high ranking. I hope this was only an isolated case, but I also think Trip.com should review the credibility of this listing. Lastly, I want to say that I still trust and support Trip.com, which is exactly why I am sharing this experience — so that other travelers can be more cautious and hopefully avoid the same disappointment.

The room was spacious with a balcony offering a fabulous view. The restaurant in the lobby and the bar both have a unique view. The staff were friendly, and the service was truly amazing.

A hotel with a magnificent view. It is really hard to find such a view. Especially the view from the top bar floor is extraordinary. The rooms could be cleaned more meticulously. It is not dirty but it could be cleaned more meticulously. The breakfast was average, the dinner menu was not very extensive, at least in the bar section. The welcome in the lobby was respectful and smiling. We were offered hot towels and fruit juice as soon as we arrived. The hotel is on the slope of a hill but I think the lack of a link bus service to the city center is a shortcoming.

We stayed in the family room which is very spacious to a point that the rooms looks empty. Cozy chairs on the balcony.

Very efficient, friendly hotel in a stunning location. The views from our room were amazing - across the lake to The Temple of the Tooth and across to the mountains beyond! Same views from the roof terrace and restaurant.

Room was lovely and service of the staff was good, but the room was noisy. Directly below us daily was banging constantly until I rang reception to ask them to stop. I could also hear chatting at full volume for the two nights we were there at gone 11pm. Bed comfort was amazing though and facilities good but noise just let it down.