BEST Western International has teamed up with Sri Lankan company Elyon Hotels to launch a series of hotels across the country, with the aim of adding a total of 700 rooms to its portfolio within five years.
The two parties will open the 60-room Best Western Elyon Colombo this summer. The city hotel will offer an all-day dining restaurant, specialty restaurant, bar, room service, fitness centre, meeting space and free Wi-Fi.
The opening kickstarts Best Western’s expansion plans in Sri Lanka under the new agreement, which will see Elyon identifying opportunities for new hotels. These will likely come up in destinations such as Colombo, Kandy, Mirrisa and Tangalle.
Best Western has set a target of more than four hotels and 400 rooms within the next three years and 700 rooms in five years.
Best Western’s vice president of international operations for Asia & the Middle East, Glenn de Souza, said: “The recent economic boom following the end of three decades of war has seen Sri Lanka develop rapidly.”
“Driven by strong interest from India, China, the Middle East and Europe, international visitor arrivals to Sri Lanka have been growing exponentially in recent years, reaching one million for the first time in 2012. This is expected to reach 1.5 million visitors in 2014, and as an international hotelier, Best Western has a duty to provide to this soaring number of travellers with quality accommodation options.”
