Taj Samudra, trading as TAL Lanka Hotels PLC, is a five-star luxury hotel in

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. The hotel is a listed company on the Colombo Stock Exchange since 1982 and the majority of the shares are held by

Taj Hotels Taj Hotels is a chain of luxury hotels and a subsidiary of the Indian Hotels Company Limited, headquartered in Mumbai, India. Incorporated by Jamsetji Tata in 1902, the company is a part of the Tata Group, one of India's largest business co ...

. The hotel is located right opposite

Galle Face Green Galle Face is a ocean-side urban park, which stretches for along the coast, in the heart of Colombo, the financial and business capital of Sri Lanka. The promenade was initially laid out in 1859 by Governor Sir Henry George Ward, although t ...

facing the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by ...

. The hotel is one of the oldest five-star hotels in the city of Colombo. Brand Finance ranked Taj Samudra 78th amongst the 100 most valuable brands in Sri Lanka for 2021.

History

The hotel company was incorporated in 1980 and in 1982 was listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange. Admiral Clancy Fernando, the commander of the Sri Lanka Navy was killed in a suicide bombing in front of the hotel on 16 November 1992. The

New Zealand national cricket team The New Zealand national cricket team represents New Zealand in men's international cricket. Named the Black Caps, they played their first Test in 1930 against England in Christchurch, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. From 1930 ...

was staying at the hotel at the time. After a renovation amounting to US$20 million, the hotel reponed in March 2018. 71 rooms and 15 suites have been renovated with the aim of increasing the

occupancy rate Within the context of building construction and building codes, "occupancy" refers to the use, or intended use, of a building, or portion of a building, for the shelter or support of persons, animals or property. A closely related meaning is ...

by five to eight per cent. Taj Samudra has been named a "Great Place to work" for five consecutive years. Despite that, the

employee turnover In human resources, turnover is the act of replacing an employee with a new employee. Partings between organizations and employees may consist of termination, retirement, death, interagency transfers, and resignations.Trip, R. (n.d.). Turnov ...

had increased in Taj Samudra, a study has found in 2018.

Easter bombings

One of the Easter bombing perpetrators, Abdul Latheef Mohamed Jameel failed to detonate his bomb. His target was the hotel's breakfast buffet. Instead, the perpetrator detonated the bomb in a motel in

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia ( si, දෙහිවල-ගල්කිස්ස, translit=Dehivala-Galkissa; ta, தெஹிவளை-கல்கிசை, translit=Tehivaḷai-Kalkicai), population 245,974 (2012) is the largest suburb of the City of ...

. The perpetrator entered the Ports of Call buffet restaurant at 08:32 AM. The CCTV footage showed him looking restless and trying to do something. Shortly afterwards, he has exited the hotel with a backpack and two-wheeled luggage.

COVID-19 pandemic

In 2020 November, four of the staff of Taj Samudra tested positive for COVID-19. During their Indian cricket team in Sri Lanka in 2021, 2021 Sri Lankan tour, the

India national cricket team The India men's national cricket team, also known as Team India or the Men in Blue, represents India in men's international cricket. It is governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and is a Full Member of the Internation ...

stayed at the Taj Samudra hotel. Despite having booked the entire hotel for the team, Krunal Pandya, one of the players tested positive for COVID-19.

Amenities

20160121 Sri Lanka 3538 Colombo sRGB (25144386673)

The hotel has 300 rooms and suites with either ocean or city views. The hotel has six restaurants, Navratna, an Indian restaurant, Golden Dragon, a Chinese cuisine restaurant, Crab Factory, the hotel's

seafood Seafood is any form of sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of molluscs (e.g. bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters and mussels, and cephalopods such as octopus a ...

restaurant, Ports of Call, a buffet and

à la carte In restaurants, ''à la carte'' (; )) is the practice of ordering individual dishes from a menu in a restaurant, as opposed to '' table d'hôte'', where a set menu is offered. It is an early 19th century loan from French meaning "according ...

restaurant, Pebbles and Lattice, two lounges that serve

finger food Finger foods are small, individual portions of food that are eaten out of hand. They are often served at social events. The ideal finger food usually does not create any mess (i.e. no crumbs, drips, or any kind of mess), but this criterion is o ...

. The hotel's other amenities include a swimming pool, tennis and squash courts, and a fitness centre. Taj Samudra also has a business centre and provides conference facilities.

Operations

TAL Lanka Hotels also manages the Gateway Hotel Airport Garden, in

Seeduwa Seeduwa (/sīðuvə/; Sinhalese: සීදුව ''Seeduwa'' pronounced īðuvə Tamil: சீதுவை ''Seeduwai'' pronounced ītuvai is a suburb of Negombo city, in Katana Divisional Secretariat, Western Province of Sri Lanka. It is ...

, near the

Bandaranaike International Airport Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) ( si, බණ්ඩාරනායක ජාත්‍යන්තර ගුවන්තොටුපළ, translit=Bandāranāyaka Jātyantara Guvantoṭupaḷa; ta, பண்டாரநாயக்க � ...

. The

Colombo Club The Colombo Club is the second oldest gentlemen's club in Sri Lanka. The Colombo Club was established on 4 March 1871 by prominent British colonialists in the island at the Colpity Race Course Grandstand. The original resolution stating, "'' ...

is located on the premises of the hotel.

References

External links

Official website
{{2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings 1980 establishments in Sri Lanka Companies listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange Hospitality companies of Sri Lanka Hotels established in 1980 Hotels in Colombo Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces