HAMBANTOTA, SRI LANKA A week after news that it will build a 500-key luxury hotel in the capital of Sri Lanka, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts has confirmed a second project for the suddenly booming Southeast Asia tourism destination.
Shangri-La plans to build a 300-key city resort on approximately 100 acres of land in Hambantota, on the southern coast of Sri Lanka, to open in 2013. A year later, Shangri-La will open a 500-key luxury hotel in a mixed-use complex in the capital of Colombo.
“Sri Lanka is a country of unsurpassed natural beauty, rich in cultural heritage, and above all it is well recognized for its warm and hospitable population,” says Greg Dogan, president and CEO of Shangri-La International Hotel Management Ltd. “The local government is fully committed to rebuilding the economy following the end of three decades of conflict, and we believe that Shangri-La will be able to assist in positioning the country as a prime global tourist destination. Both Shangri-La hotels strategically fit into the group’s ongoing expansion plans to link the Indian subcontinent and our Southeast Asia developments.”
The Colombo development, to be located near the Galle Face promenade, will cost a reported US$500 million. The anticipated investment in Hambantota is unknown.
