THAILAND’S Minor Hotel Group (MHG) has signed an agreement with local partner Hemas Holdings for Sri Lanka’s second Anantara resort, part of an influx of new hotels into the country’s south.
Construction of the US$35 million project in the southern coastal town of Kalutara will commence this month and the resort is expected to open in mid-2015 with 141 rooms.
MHG and Hemas last September announced plans for the first Anantara property in Sri Lanka – a five-star, 154-room resort in Tangalle, also in the south.
Both resorts will offer luxury rooms and villas with private plunge pools, two swimming pools, three restaurants and a purpose-built spa each.
Hemas currently operates two Avani resorts in Sri Lanka under its subsidiary Serendib Leisure (TTG Asia e-Daily, November 6, 2012).
Separately, Centara Hotels & Resorts is scheduled to soft open the 165-key Centara Ceysands Resort & Spa Sri Lanka, the group’s second property in the country, in spring this year.
Located on the Bentota Peninsula, two hours away from Colombo and 100km from the international airport, the resort will offer three F&B outlets, a spa, a fitness centre, an oceanfront swimming pool, a children’s pool, a water sports centre and a kid’s club.
Jetwing Hotels last week debuted its latest property – the 80-room Jetwing Yala – near the country’s biggest wildlife park on the south coast.
Sri Lanka is boosting room capacity nation-wide as it aims to reach 2.5 million tourist arrivals in 2016, from just under 500,000 in 2008.
