Colombo Court Hotel & Spa is the eco-friendly urban hideaway you didn’t know you needed. Located smack-dab in the middle of Colombo, the venue, which is South Asia’s first carbon-neutral property, maintains a tranquil, private ambience despite being surrounded by the city’s cosmopolitan vibes.
Post-curfew operations
We spoke to the management at Colombo Court about how they have fared after the effects of Covid-19.
They shared that while during the lockdown they were available on Uber Eats and continued delivery services, once curfew was lifted, they opened up the property on 9 July.
Colombo Court adopted a different approach in comparison to other similar hotels, choosing to open up gradually rather than all at once; first opening their outlets for locals before progressively making their rooms available.
Since the venue has opened post curfew, Colombo Court made available special packages for their guests to use their rooms together with their various other services.
They spoke about the new normal and adapting to the safety and health guidelines set out by the Ministry of Health, stating that it is not an easy task, especially being a single-owner property, rather than a chain property, and at a time where there is no revenue for the property.
They shared that they disinfect their washrooms every half an hour, conduct temperature checks, carry out sanitisation procedures, and all the other necessary guidelines which were recommended by the Ministry of Health. Colombo Court added that while it has been a big weight, they believe in the importance of these guidelines and the health and safety of their employees and guests, which is their priority. As such, they look at it as an investment.
Hotel
The hotel houses 31 rooms (divided into three categories: deluxe rooms, super deluxe rooms, and suites), a duplex for families, and a honeymoon suite.
The beautifully appointed rooms and suites are accented with recycled bicycle parts, keeping in line with the hotel’s overall design theme of sustainability and upcycling.
They stated that while Colombo Court is best known for their outlets, their main revenue-generator is their rooms. They said that due to the pandemic, the number of guests who visited the hotel, which mainly comprised foreign guests, particularly European guests followed by Canadian and Australian guests, was highly affected.
In the local market, guests often tend to be families and friends coming in for a spend-the-day to use the pool, Colombo Court said, sharing that they would then go on to use a room and have a meal. However, primarily, the local audience tends to frequent the outlets i.e. the restaurants.
Colombo Court shared that their unique composition attracts guests who visit both for leisure and business.
Outlets
The flagship restaurant at Colombo Court is Cloud Café, a rooftop restaurant and beautifully spacious area (able to host 70 pax), perfect for socialising while maintaining physical distance.
The restaurant is best known for their pizzas, famous for being the most affordable pizzas in Colombo, ensuring you get your money’s worth. Unsurprisingly, their pizzas are their best selling item.
Secondly, they’ve got the Loft Lounge Bar which is often utilised when Cloud Cafe cannot be used, for example, when it rains.
The ambience at Loft allows a quiet corner for couples who want to be alone or a family who want to have a private drink. It is essentially a place to experience the standard bar vibe.
However, primarily, Loft is a sports bar and according to the management if there is any sporting event happening, even if it is to go on until 3 a.m. the next day, they will screen it. As such, there will always be a place for you to catch the game at Loft.
Thirdly, there is the poolside restaurant which operates mainly for lunch. However, the staff did share their preferences, saying that it is a perfect breakfast spot and that it also has a very romantic atmosphere. Therefore, they also let this area out for small, intimate weddings. It provides for all-day dining and you can expect a range of dishes available on their a la carte menu, from steaks to East Asian-style dishes like the “Thai Kirumba”.
The venue also consists of a small conference room, Scarlet Room, and also a library, gym, and spa.
A highlight of the hotel, worth of mention, is their wine lounge cheekily named “Grape Expectations”. They shared that this is mainly an attraction that is popular with their European guests who frequent the space, as they offer a certain experience where you will be taken to the property’s wine cellar to pick out your choice of wine, and you are also able to spend time in the plush, beautifully lit space as you go about your leisure.
Green-friendly
Colombo Court remains a unique offering in the city’s boutique hotel circuit, not only because of the many amenities they have, but because the building itself carries so much character.
The property itself was interestingly, originally a large office space that was not demolished but simply realtered, expanding office clusters into rooms, thereby adding character to each and every room.
The Corea House Wing at Colombo Court, the first French Embassy in Sri Lanka which was previously occupied by Lankan politician Mr. Corea, was designed by one of Jeffrey Bawa’s students, relating an important bit of history.
Amongst all the many things that Colombo Court is doing to remain as they are, they have also revived their much-recognised sustainability programme.
In addition to extensive water refiltering, they utilise solar power and the majority of materials they use within the hotel is recycled. The waste oil from their kitchen is sent to a company that recycles the oil and exports it for different purposes and the entirety of the property is adorned with recycled artwork.
The hotel is built on the premise of being as green-friendly as possible and it is the ideal place for the green-conscious person to indulge in a guilt-free, leisurely experience.
