JOHN Keells Holdings (JKH), Sri Lanka’s largest hotel operator, is looking to plug its Chaaya brand, with several rebrandings of the group’s properties in the country.
“Given the positive outlook for tourism, we expect to make substantial investments in the leisure industry in Sri Lanka,” said JKH chairman, Susantha Ratnayake.
The Coral Gardens Hikkaduwa, currently undergoing refurbishment, will be re-launched as Chaaya Tranz Hikkaduwa in November.
Yala Village, a hotel in a wildlife park in the south, was closed in May for expansion and refurbishment. It will be rebranded as Chaaya Wild Yala and open in November.
The brand new 200-room Chaaya Bey Beruwala in Sri Lanka’s south will be ready by May 2012.
Meanwhile, in the Maldives, JKH has divested its stake in Cinnamon Island Alidhoo and acquired (on lease) the Chaaya Island Dhonveli.
Ratnayake also revealed that the group’s leisure arm was working with its property group to explore the economic feasibility of establishing multi-functional, integrated developments in Sri Lanka.
