Guest reviews Shangri-La's Hambantota Golf Resort & Spa

by Meneka G Colombo, Sri Lanka

Worst Hotel Stay EVER!!!!

I have reviewed Shangri-LA Hambantota before positively but the last stay was memorable for all the wrong reasons. Worst, was their absolute negligence and the fact the management does not want to take responsibility for lapses on their part which resulted in a number of guests ending up with severe food poisoning during a golf tournament. IF you are organising a tournament, STAY AWAY from Shangri-La Hambantota. This was the real experience by my partner. Over 20 players and their families, including children, went down with serious food poisoning from the hotel buffets starting on the 27th of March. In fact, in the midst of the actual tournament on the 27th, several players started cramping up, purging and collapsing on the fairways. Food poisoning whilst unacceptable is something that can happen anywhere, But the negligent lapses and mal practices on the part of Shangri-La which is note-worthy in the public interest: 1) There were no buggies available for emergencies of this nature to transport players from the course to their rooms 2) Multiple requests for doctors to attend to certain patients including my partner were ignored, although he was in severe pain and purging every 15 mins, not being able to hold down even water. 3) No permanent doctor on site for a hotel of this scale despite knowing players and their family were suffering from food poisoning 4) Multiple requests for coconut water for re-hydration was not able to be supplied saying the hotel didn't have it 5) The F&B Director or Manager called me in the room to ask if he needed anything. I requested for a black coffee for him and something to rehydrate the patient but after 45 minutes nothing was sent to the room. I had to call once again and they sent a packet of jeewani and no black coffee. F & B Manager should never have called if he had no intention of honouring a simple request for black coffee. I had 2 others (spouses of players) in our room who came to check on my partner and were themselves shocked at the lack of empathy and responsibility. 6) Being completely worried I called for assistance around 2.30 am and the nurse arrived without even a thermometer and had to be sent back by me to get one. Several patients had to be rushed back to Colombo to get immediate intravenous treatment as they were severely sick and dehydrated. They did offer us a weekend voucher and payment of all medical bills but not accepted responsibility nor apologied for their lack of health and safety standards. This is un-acceptable for a global international leisure chain for a lapse of this magnitude. To date, Shangri-La have not been able to trace the source or lapses in protocol that led to this calamity. I would strongly recommend local and international golfers be aware of the hazards of Shangrila Hambantota, that in this case are not on the course! This is certainly not representative of local Sri Lankan hotel chains, who put their customers first and actually give a taste of paradise. Aside from this experience, the rooms were comfortable and amenities were decent. I recommend they seriously look at their current management as the standards have seriously dropped in the last 12 months!!!!!!!

by oxominder

Above and Beyond

Place is amazing, so beautiful and peaceful but with many options of activities if you want to keep yourself busy. We had a beach access room which was perfect for us. The natural surroundings are stunning and make you feel completely relaxed. The best thing about shangri la hambanthota is the service! Chathuranga , Ishara from the restaurant gets a special mention as both went above and beyond to made our stay special. While preparing the delicious food we would like to highlight Chef Kalum who went extra step to help us to prepare customizable request (additional to the buffet). And all the staff were fantastic and We have never experience service like it! Loads of activities, during the day time the bike ride and archery sessions were entertained a-lot and with the information and support of Janaka we had a good time with these activities. Overall, Place is kids friendly and very family oriented. Great food buffet with the super variation of food, all three meals with separate spread for kids with high chairs, smaller dinning tables and chairs. Fantastic pool and mini water park with life guards. Most of the staff were friendly. Precautions well taken care of with sanitization and compulsory mask except when at the pool. Everything was fine.Well maintained rooms. Nice surrounding, Fine environment for evening walk etc. Thank you Team. Good job. ~Kushal and Maashi

by maheshad2016

Family Friendly Hotel

Starting from the reservation, staff gave a excellent service. We had a warm welcome ,staff was very nice. From lobby to dining they followed the covid-19 prevention measures. We stayed in a Deluxe room house keeping has done a great job. Food was fabulous breakfast, lunch and dinner had a great variety, touched various kinds of cuisines Sri Lankan, Italian, French etc so everyone can enjoy and full of variety desserts. We stayed only one night so we didn't have much time to attained to extra activities including yoga, cycling, golf, water sports ect. At last our family wants to convey our special thanks to following staff who helped us through out our stay. F&B Mr. Gayan Perera Chef Kalum Bartender Chamath Reservations Aliyah and the person who did the reservation House keeping

by MethmiR Pokhara, Nepal

Poor customer service

This is our second time visiting Shangrila, and found that the hotel/ staff services has deteriorated over the course of two years. Rooms have weathered away and needs refurbishment. Staff did not give us a proper welcome and we checked in to our rooms ourselves. Food was commendable.

by 433menakad Colombo, Sri Lanka

Disappointed!

Found a piece of Plastic in my food during our first nights dinner at Shangri-La Hambanthota . Complained about it and restaurant didn’t even had the courtesy to waive off the bill of that dinner other than offering extra food when we have had a buffet already. This cause to make our whole stay unpleasant and to question the safety of food we have had and being served at Shangri-La Hambanthota. The way the management responded to this matter was extremely disappointing and below 5 star standards. Hope this will get Shangri-La regional heads attention.