Background/purpose Principles of enhanced recovery have been used to enable early recovery and discharge from hospital and minimize potential complications, and thereby improve patient outcomes following colorectal surgery. Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) implementation involves a team consisting of surgeons, anesthetists, an ERAS coordinator, and staff from units that care for the surgical patient. We compare ERAS with traditional protocol in colorectal surgery to detect advantages of ERAS over traditional care in colorectal surgery and to encourage application of ERAS in our hospitals. Patients and methods This study was carried on 18 patients who were scheduled for colorectal surgery in the GIT Surgical Unit in the Department of General Surgery, Zagazig University Hospitals, from April 2018 till April 2019. The patients were divided into two groups: group A was managed by traditional protocol and group (B) was managed by enhanced recovery protocol (ERAS). Results We found that ERAS decreased both primary hospital length of stay from 12 to 5 days and total hospital stay from 13.7 to 7 days. ERAS decreased mean cost from 6800 to 3900 pounds. General postoperative complications were also reduced from 22 to 11%. Pain scores in first postoperative day improved from 6 to 4, first time to flatus passage was reduced from 3.6 to 1.8 days, and mean time to first solid meal decreased from 5.5 to 3.2 days. Conclusions ERAS are multimodal perioperative care programs that resulted in an ERAS, reduced morbidity rates as well as primary and overall hospital stay, and improved postoperative pain and bowel function.