Amari Colombo takes home top honours at World Travel Awards 2026

World Travel Awards Founder and President Graham Cooke presents the award to Amari Colombo Hotel Manager Indika Jayawardena

 Amari Colombo named Sri Lanka’s Leading Business Hotel for the second consecutive year at the 33rd Annual World Travel Awards

What better way to mark World Tourism Day than with another landmark achievement for Amari Colombo?

Amari Colombo has once again been named Sri Lanka’s Leading Business Hotel at the 33rd Annual World Travel Awards, retaining the prestigious title for the second consecutive year.

The award was announced on Sunday, 27 September 2026, at the World Travel Awards Asia, Oceania & Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony, held in the Maldives, bringing together leading names from across the region’s travel, tourism and hospitality industries.

The back-to-back recognition places Amari Colombo among Sri Lanka’s leading hospitality brands, following a closely contested category featuring some of the most established names in Colombo’s hospitality landscape.

For Amari Colombo, the achievement is particularly significant as the hotel continues to establish itself as a distinctive upper-upscale business and lifestyle destination in the heart of Colombo, bringing together Thai hospitality and Sri Lankan soul.

Amari Colombo Hotel Manager Indika Jayawardena said:  “When our name was called out for the second consecutive year, there was an immediate sense of pride and gratitude. Awards such as this are never about one person or one department. They represent the collective effort of every colleague who comes to work each day determined to create meaningful experiences for our guests. To receive this recognition again, particularly alongside some of the most respected names in Sri Lanka’s hospitality industry, makes it even more special. It tells us that what we are building at Amari Colombo is resonating not only with our guests, but also with the wider travel and tourism industry.”

Amari Colombo General Manager Monty Ariyaratne said:  “Winning Sri Lanka’s Leading Business Hotel for the second consecutive year is an incredible honour for everyone at Amari Colombo. It is a recognition of the trust placed in us by our guests, partners and industry colleagues, and of the commitment demonstrated by our entire team. What makes this particularly meaningful is the timing. To celebrate this achievement on World Tourism Day is a wonderful reminder of the role our industry plays in connecting people, cultures and destinations. It also reinforces our responsibility to continue innovating, evolving and delivering experiences that are relevant to today’s traveller.”

“We are grateful to the World Travel Awards for this recognition and, most importantly, to our colleagues whose passion, teamwork and dedication make achievements such as this possible. We celebrate this moment, but we also see it as motivation to raise the bar even further,” Ariyaratne added,

Established in 1993, the World Travel Awards recognises and celebrates excellence across key sectors of the global travel, tourism and hospitality industries. Over more than three decades, its annual programme has recognised destinations, hotels, resorts, airlines, tour operators, tourism organisations and other industry leaders across the world.

The World Travel Awards Grand Tour travels through a series of regional gala ceremonies, with regional winners progressing to compete for honours at the annual Grand Final.

Winning a World Travel Award is widely recognised within the international travel industry as a mark of excellence, providing recognition and global visibility among travellers, industry partners and stakeholders.

For Amari Colombo, the 2026 award adds another milestone to a growing list of achievements since its opening, reinforcing the hotel’s position within Colombo’s evolving hospitality landscape.

As the global tourism community marks World Tourism Day 2026, Amari Colombo celebrates the achievement not simply as an award, but as a reflection of the people behind the brand.

From its oceanfront location on Galle Road to its portfolio of dining, meetings, leisure and accommodation experiences, the hotel continues to embrace its philosophy of “Thai hospitality meets Sri Lankan soul”, creating spaces and experiences designed to connect local culture with international hospitality.

The consecutive World Travel Awards recognition provides another reason for the Amari Colombo team to celebrate — and an even greater reason to continue doing what hospitality does best: welcoming people, creating connections and leaving them with something to remember.