Marriott to debut in Sri Lanka

Marriott has signed an agreement to open its first hotel in Sri Lanka.

Opening in 2014, the Weligama Bay Marriott Resort & Spa will be developed on a beachfront site in the southeast of the country, just off the Galle-Matara road.

Simon Cooper

“Marriott is delighted to be extending its portfolio and opening a world-class hotel in Sri Lanka” commented Simon Cooper, President & Managing Director of Marriott Asia Pacific. “Sri Lanka is a destination that has great potential and opportunity and we hope to capitalise on that and establish a strong presence in the country. We are confident that the reputation of Marriott Hotels and Resorts and the power of Marriott Rewards, our loyalty programme, will create great interest from both local and international travellers and be successful in promoting the beautiful area of Weligama Bay, as well as the country itself as this is our first hotel here.”

Located at Weligama, 144km from the capital Colombo, the 200-room hotel will have a 115-metre stretch of beach, three restaurants, a pool with a pool bar, spa, fitness centre and 640m² of conference space.

“We see great opportunity in Sri Lanka with ever-increasing visitor numbers to the country,” continued Cooper. “While India, UK and Germany are the largest source markets for hotels in Sri Lanka, the Middle East and Russia are the emerging source markets and with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) aiming to achieve a target of 2.5 million tourist arrivals by 2016 we are confident of attracting great leisure and business guests to the property.”

By Mark Elliott, 11 July 2012, Wednesday 1:00 AM