Five-star Colombo 02, Colombo
Hilton Colombo
Hilton's flagship in Sri Lanka since 1987, beside the World Trade Center in Colombo 02, looking out over the port and the Indian Ocean.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.
- Opened
- 1987
- Restaurants and bars
- Six
- Event space
- 2,891 square metres
- From the airport
- About an hour from CMB
The hotel
The capital's banqueting hall.
Hotel Developers (Lanka) was formed in 1983 to build the hotel, and the state guaranteed the yen loan that paid for it. Hilton Colombo opened in 1987 beside what is now the World Trade Center, looking over the port and the Indian Ocean. The owning company left the stock exchange in 2020 and now belongs to the government.
For almost four decades the hotel has hosted state banquets, Colombo Fashion Week and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting of 2013, and more than twenty thousand weddings. Its Oktoberfest has run for thirty-two years. A refurbishment has since renewed 262 rooms and suites, and the hotel turned thirty-nine in September 2026.
- Emperor's Wok Chinese fine dining, one of six restaurants and bars in the hotel.
- SunsetBlu Poolside dining and drinks by the outdoor pool.
- The Grand Ballroom A pillar-less ballroom within 2,891 square metres of event space.
Dining
Six places to eat and drink.
Venues as listed by the hotel. No MICHELIN guide covers Sri Lanka. Shown for information.
- Emperor's Wok Chinese Fine dining
- Graze Kitchen International Open kitchens, buffet
- SunsetBlu Poolside dining By the pool
- L.A.B. Lounge and bar In the hotel
- Café Kai Grab-and-go Coffee and snacks
- Stella Karaoke lounge and bar In the hotel
Recognition
Recent awards.
- World Travel Awards Sri Lanka's Leading Conference Hotel, 2025
- World Luxury Hotel Awards Best Architectural Design, Sri Lanka, 2025
Good to know
Before you go.
- Arrival Check-in from 3 pm, check-out by noon.
- Pets Not accepted.
- Transfers The hotel runs no airport shuttle. A car should be booked ahead.
Getting there
Flying to Colombo.
Bandaranaike International (CMB) at Katunayake is 32 kilometres away. Allow about an hour by car on the airport expressway, our estimate. Private jets land at the same airport, which is open around the clock.
- Malé 1 h 20
- Mumbai 2 h 20
- Singapore 3 h 55
- Dubai 4 h 40
- London 11 h 50 long-range jet
Questions
What guests ask first.
- When did Hilton Colombo open?
- In 1987. It is Hilton's flagship hotel in Sri Lanka.
- Does Hilton Colombo accept pets?
- No. Pets are not allowed.
- How far is Hilton Colombo from the airport?
- Thirty-two kilometres from Bandaranaike International, roughly an hour by car by our estimate. There is no airport shuttle.
- Can SkyCourtage arrange the flight to Colombo?
- Yes. We arrange Business and First Class seats on scheduled airlines and private jet charter to Colombo, with one final price, our margin included. The hotel is booked with the hotel or through our booking partner.
Also in Colombo
Other hotels worth the trip.
- Shangri-La Colombo Five hundred rooms on Centre Road at Galle Face, opened in 2017.
- ITC Ratnadipa Opened in April 2024 with 352 rooms, and classified five-star by the national tourism authority in January 2026.
- Cinnamon Life Six hundred and eighty-seven rooms in the City of Dreams complex, opened in 2024.
- Taj Samudra Three hundred rooms on Galle Face Centre Road, open since the early 1980s.
- The Kingsbury On Janadhipathi Mawatha in Fort, a hotel since 1973.
- Cinnamon Grand Five hundred and one rooms on the Galle Road, a fixture of the city since 1975.
- Cinnamon Lakeside Three hundred and forty-six rooms, opened in 1985.
- Sheraton Colombo On the Galle Road, rated five-star by Sri Lanka Tourism.
- NH Collection Colombo Two hundred and nineteen rooms, opened in 2017.
- Nüwa A hotel of 113 rooms and suites at the top of the City of Dreams resort, given its five-star certificate in May 2026.
- Sentido Heritance Negombo On the beach at Negombo with 139 rooms, some 13 km from the airport.
- Jetwing Blue The first Jetwing hotel, which began as a six-room retreat on this beach and now has two pools.
- The Blue Water Designed by Geoffrey Bawa, among coconut palms on the beach at Wadduwa.
Staying at Hilton Colombo?
Book the room, then the flight.
Rates and availability come from the hotel itself. For the journey to Colombo, a Business or First Class seat or an aircraft of your own: tell us the date and we come back with one final price, our margin included.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.