Sri Lanka will welcome its first integrated resort (IR) come 2H2024, thanks to an investment by Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts.
Now under construction, Cinnamon Life Integrated Resort will rise in Colombo and is set to be a “game-changer in the tourism industry of Colombo and Sri Lanka”, remarked Padmi Fernando, director of business development with the property.
Fernando told TTGmice during an interview ILTM Asia-Pacific: “One of our priorities is to first sell Colombo as a destination on its own, as it is yet to be fully discovered.”
The IR will offer 15,000m2 of indoor and outdoor spaces, including five ballrooms with large pre-function areas and electronic drop-down partitions, 18 breakout rooms, and three outdoor venues. Two of the five ballrooms are located within a cantilever on the 22nd floor, offering a unique setting with panoramic views of the city and the ocean.
The largest ballroom can accommodate up to 1,500 guests. At peak capacity, the resort can host 5,000 guests across all of its venues.
To ensure a seamless arrival experience for business events, the resort will provide four dedicated entrance lobbies, including event-specific entry access points.
There will also be an event showcase studio that has been billed to revolutionise the event booking process in Sri Lanka. It will display mock setups, meeting rooms, discussion lounges, a live cooking kitchen, and dedicated tasting tables, enabling organisers to visualise and plan their events with precision.
Other facilities include seven restaurants and eight bars, two hotels with 800 keys altogether, two wellness centres, and three swimming pools overlooking the Beira Lake or Colombo city skyline. The IR will also be home to two residential towers, a mall, and an office tower.
On which markets Cinnamon Life Integrated Resort is planning to target, Fernando said: “We are targeting a balanced mix of both business and leisure visitors, from Asia-Pacific markets such as India and China, as well as our traditional UK and German markets. Sri Lanka has excellent flight connectivity, and as we can reach 40 per cent of the world’s population, we plan to maximise that reach.”
