Kamal Munasinghe appointed as General Manager for Cinnamon Grand and Cinnamon Lakeside

Kamal Munasinghe 

• Munasinghe’s 25+ years of experience includes Mount Lavinia Hotel, Kingsbury, Best Western, Mövenpick, Marriott International and Alila Hotels & Resorts
• Career placements in Switzerland, Malaysia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka
• A hospitality graduate of Schiller International University, Switzerland

Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts – Sri Lanka’s leading hospitality chain recently announced the appointment of veteran hotelier and industry powerhouse – Kamal Munasinghe, as General Manager for Cinnamon Grand Colombo and Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo. Munasinghe joins the group from his last appointment as General Manager for Alila Bangsar Kuala Lumpur (a Hyatt Hotels Corporation property).

Munasinghe brings nearly three decades of international and local hospitality expertise in managing luxury hotel brands such as Marriott, Hyatt and Mövenpick, including several local hotels. His appointment comes as part of the group’s strategic restructuring and navigation of the industry to manage the effects of the continued COVID-19 pandemic, which continues to ravage Sri Lanka’s travel and tourism industry.

Kamal Munasinghe commented, “I am pleased to take over as General Manager for two years, of Sri Lanka’s most highly sought-after five-star city hotels. I look forward to strategically uplifting the brands and the industry as a whole, as we continue to navigate through a post-COVID world. Focusing on delivering a safe and comfortable environment for guests and associates is of paramount importance whilst we strive for continued excellence.”

Both Cinnamon Grand Colombo and Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo are considered to be two of Sri Lanka’s premier five-star hotels, with the two properties combined featuring the largest variety of restaurants that Colombo has to offer.

Munasinghe adds, “It is my prerogative to enhance their offerings, strengthen their position in the industry and better align the properties to cater to modern travellers. It is imperative that we strike a strategic balance between willingness to take risks once business resumes and having an agile presence in the market. Luxury is all about personalisation.”

The Swiss-Sri Lankan dual national’s most notable career accomplishments have been the opening of the first-ever Alila in Malaysia; leading the refurbishment and rebranding of the InterContinental Hotel to the Kingsbury; a 410-room refurbishment of the Renaissance Kuala Lumpur; and introducing the Liquid Sky Bar at Renaissance Riverside Saigon, to name a few.

When asked about Sri Lanka’s future given the unprecedented times, Munasinge stated, “We need to develop a professional hospitality workforce to deliver a memorable experience for our guests and allow foreign workforces to be part of our industry, so that we can gain much-needed exposure and certify Sri Lanka as a key travel destination. All these will be key factors to develop business post COVID-19.” In addition, Munasinghe strongly believes that Sri Lanka holds the opportunity to become the world’s most sustainable tourism destination featuring wellness, wellbeing, and mindfulness.

Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts is a diverse chain of Hotels both in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. It is a member of John Keells Holdings PLC which is the largest listed conglomerate in Sri Lanka with interest in sectors such as Leisure, Transportation, Property, Consumer Food and Retail, Financial Services, Information Technology, Business Process Operations and Plantations.