Galle Face Hotel

The supposedly oldest working doorman in the world has been on duty here since 1942, which tells you something about this grand Colonial-era hotel's relationship with time. Perched at the edge of the Indian Ocean in Colombo's business district, it somehow feels like both a city institution and a seaside retreat at once. Dark-wood rooms vary wildly by tier, but the better suites have vast ocean terraces and, in one case, a four-poster bathtub.

One honor, in evidence: