Sri Lanka to see seven stars soon

Sri Lanka will soon have its first-ever seven-star hotel in Colombo, with the latest approval granted by the Board of Investment (BOI) to Hong Kong-based leisure group Shangri-La.

By Cheranka Mendis

Shangri-La, famous for its numerous hotels around the world, would soon start work on its latest venture, a seven-star hotel near the Galle Face Green promenade, where the Army Headquarters now stands.

Representatives of Shangri-La are said to have signed an agreement with officials of the Government to acquire 10 acres of the said property. BOI reports that a total of US$ 75 million has been spent for this purpose.

Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism Nalaka Godahewa speaking to Daily FT stated that the project would be completed with an estimated investment of US$ 500 million and would have 500 rooms. Employment generation will also be substantial, he said.

Godahewa stated that the project would move forward very swiftly and work on it would start as early as end 2011.

“I assume they will need about six months for the designing process and so on. By the latter part of 2011, construction work should start,” Godahewa said. “The project has moved very fast from the discussion stage to the implementation stage. Treasury Secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundera was instrumental in hurrying up the process.”

According to the agreement, the Army Headquarters will be moved to a different location. Details will not be revealed until later next year, the Chairman said. However, the relocation will be done in several stages and would be completed by the time hotel construction is ready to start.

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts is Asia Pacific’s leading luxury hotel group and is regarded as one of the world’s finest hotel ownership and management companies. Shangri-La began in 1971 with its first deluxe hotel in Singapore. Today, there are 70 hotels and resorts throughout Asia Pacific, North America and the Middle East, representing a room inventory of over 30,000.

New hotels are under development in Austria, Canada, mainland China, India, Macau, Philippines, Qatar, Turkey and United Kingdom.