Mövenpick enters Colombo, Sri Lanka

Turning 40 this year, Mövenpick Hotels and Resorts moves ahead with its plan to operate 100 properties by 2015 (see news and news), launching a presence in Colombo by the middle of this year. The 19-storey Mövenpick Hotel Colombo will open next to the popular Liberty Plaza shopping centre in the city's heart. In total, there will be 180 guestrooms, with the standard types measuring 36 sqm and suites measuring 70 sqm. Other facilities include a specialty restaurant, all-day dining outlet, rooftop bar and music club. Andreas Mattmuller, the chain's chief operating officer for Middle East & Asia, commented that this latest addition was "in line with the development strategy to secure projects in key Asian markets" as well as being "a great opportunity to expand our presence in an emerging travel destination". Since 2009 – when decades long civilian conflict finally came to an end – the once beleaguered Sri Lankan capital has been rapidly building up a new persona (see news). Besides Mövenpick, the boom in tourism has attracted other major accommodation providers such as Hyatt (see news) and Shangri-La (see news). (The Hilton has been the only branded hotel property there for many years.) Meanwhile, airlines like Jet Airways and Etihad have either bumped up frequencies or resumed services to Colombo. For more details, visit www.movenpick-hotels.com Margie T Logarta