Ramada By Wyndham Colombo

Checked in 17 October 26, around 5 pm. Found an issue with HDMI and air con sound, we met a guy with a suit on the floor and he came in to our room acknowledge the problems and said he's going to send an engineer later. One hour pass, nothing happened. I called to follow up at front desk a lady pick up and said she will follow. Still nothing happened. 15 minutes later, my husband called to follow up whether the engineer will come or not since we are about to go dinner. The lady then now pass the line to the Duty Manager without briefing him our situation. The Duty Manager, Mr. Ravi who is impolite and talk aggressively, not even apologising, but he told my husband to stop talking 😑😑 (who on earth in Hospitality Business saying that to guest). He explains that the hotel has the power shortage situation how come he is sending us the engineer (exactly his own sentences). We would understand the situation if they just call back give us the reason and make appointment later. We are shocked to experienced this aggressive communication from him.

Even though the hotel is quite old however, its location is pretty convenient. With a great pool suitable for kids and Adults. Their food variety could’ve been better for international guests, specifically during breakfast. Our stay was great and they even brought us a kids crib to make our stay even better.

Unfortunately, this was a very disappointing experience. The buffet spread was extremely limited, with many items repeated around the buffet to make it look larger than it actually was. Most of the savouries were not particularly tasty, and some food, especially the sushi, did not seem fresh. I understand the price point may not allow for premium ingredients, but freshness should never be compromised. Many items also appeared to be outsourced. The service was equally disappointing. At the beginning, I noticed 3–4 managers standing around the entrance, yet basic things like tea cups, tea sachets and iced coffee were not replenished until guests asked. Within an hour, the live station inside had already closed, and later the managers seemed to disappear. Table clearance was slow and we repeatedly had to ask for tables to be cleared. When I asked one waiter for a refill, I was told that he was working inside and that I should ask the waiter responsible for the outside area. Guests should not have to manage the hotel's internal responsibilities. The outdoor pool area was also full of crows and looked more like a fish market than a hotel dining area. There seemed to be very little effort to control the situation. Cleanliness was another concern. I had a baby pram and wanted to keep it under the table, but the area underneath was so dirty that I couldn't. Tables were also not being cleared consistently. When my wife needed somewhere private to feed our baby, reception told us to speak to the Duty Manager. We eventually had to use the business centre. A simple request like this should be something staff are empowered to assist with without having to search for a Duty Manager for hours. The ice cream was overly sweet and creamy, the orange tea was far too sweet, and the ice cream storage thingy was broken. One positive was the chef at the waffle station. His attention to detail was excellent. As someone who works as a Hotel General Manager, I was particularly surprised because these are basic operational issues. From what I observed, there appeared to be sufficient manpower. The problem seemed to be supervision, ownership and empowerment rather than staffing levels. If I were managing the outlet, I would reduce the number of managers and focus on empowering the team, improving supervision, maintaining freshness and cleanliness, and ensuring basic service standards are consistently followed. Unfortunately, for me, the overall experience fell well below what I would expect from Ramada Colombo.

We had a lovely experience at the Indian restaurant at Ramada. The mutton biriyani was absolutely delicious, very flavourful, well-cooked and served nicely. The food tasted fresh and authentic, and the overall dining experience was excellent. A special thank you to Manager Kasun, who was very active and attentive throughout. He checked on the guests personally and made sure everyone was happy and comfortable. Highly recommended for biriyani lovers!