The much anticipated opening of the Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo took place recently in Sri Lanka’s commercial capital. The opening ceremony held on 16th November 2017 was attended by the country’s President, Maithripala Sirisena, Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Prime Minister as well as other government ministers, celebrities and officials from Shangri-La. This 500 room hotel is part of the massive One Galle Face mixed development project; when fully completed it will offer office spaces, a mall and residences for those in search of a luxury apartment for sale in Colombo.

The ceremony which marked the opening of this newest Shangri-La Hotel featured a customary ribbon cutting as well as the unveiling of a special plaque. Signifying this coming together of Sri Lanka and China, specific cultural rituals as a wish for prosperity and the marking of new beginnings were observed. This included the Sri Lankan tradition of lighting the oil lamp and the Chinese tradition of dotting the eye of the lion.