Kamal Munasinghe to head Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams Colombo, marking a pivotal leadership appointment as the integrated resort enters its next phase of expansion. The hospitality veteran assumes the role effective February 15 while continuing as Senior Vice President – Colombo Hotels at Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts.
Kamal Munasinghe to head Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams Colombo
The appointment places Munasinghe at the helm of Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams, widely described as South Asia’s first fully integrated resort. The property forms a core component of Colombo’s evolving luxury hospitality and entertainment landscape, combining high-end accommodation, retail, gaming, and convention facilities under a unified destination model.
According to the company, Munasinghe will oversee both strategic direction and day-to-day operations of Cinnamon Life. The mandate extends beyond operational management to brand positioning, revenue optimization, and long-term asset performance. As Colombo intensifies competition in the premium tourism and MICE segments, leadership alignment at this stage is strategically consequential.
Munasinghe retains his portfolio role as Senior Vice President – Colombo Hotels at Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, ensuring continuity across the group’s flagship urban properties. This dual responsibility structure signals a governance approach centered on integration rather than siloed management, potentially improving cross-property synergies in pricing strategy, distribution channels, and guest loyalty ecosystems.
With more than three decades of experience across international and domestic hospitality markets, Munasinghe brings institutional memory alongside global exposure. His leadership résumé includes senior roles at Marriott International, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, and Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, organizations known for standardized operating frameworks and brand-driven asset management models. Such experience is relevant in scaling integrated resort operations, where operational complexity extends beyond traditional hotel management.
Previously serving as Chief Operating Officer of Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, Munasinghe oversaw a portfolio of 17 hotels and resorts across Sri Lanka and the Maldives. That tenure focused on elevating guest experience metrics, operational efficiency, and service standardization. Portfolio-wide oversight at that scale typically demands granular attention to RevPAR optimization, cost controls, and brand consistency—competencies directly transferable to an integrated resort environment.
His earlier assignments include Area Vice President – Colombo and General Manager of Cinnamon Grand Colombo, one of the capital’s most established five-star properties. He also served as General Manager of Alila Bangsar Kuala Lumpur, part of Hyatt’s lifestyle portfolio, indicating familiarity with urban luxury positioning in competitive Southeast Asian markets.
The significance of this appointment must be contextualized within Colombo’s broader tourism recovery trajectory. Integrated resorts operate on a diversified revenue model encompassing rooms, gaming, retail, dining, conventions, and entertainment. Effective leadership requires balancing these verticals while maintaining brand coherence. Munasinghe’s exposure to both global hotel chains and regional management structures suggests a hybrid approach that combines standardized operating discipline with local market agility.
Kamal Munasinghe to head Cinnamon Life also carries reputational implications for Sri Lanka’s hospitality sector. Leadership credibility can influence investor perception, partnership negotiations, and talent acquisition. A seasoned executive with international credentials enhances the project’s institutional profile, particularly as Colombo seeks to position itself as a premium urban destination in South Asia.
Operationally, the next growth phase of Cinnamon Life is likely to prioritize occupancy stabilization, event-driven footfall, and premium segment penetration. Integrated resorts often depend on diversified customer acquisition strategies, including business travelers, high-net-worth leisure guests, and regional convention traffic. Strategic execution at this juncture will determine whether the property achieves sustainable yield management rather than short-term volume spikes.
Munasinghe’s educational background further complements his executive profile. A graduate of Schiller International University in Switzerland, he combines European hospitality training with extensive exposure to Asian growth markets such as Malaysia and Vietnam. This cross-regional experience is relevant as traveller expectations increasingly converge around personalization, digital integration, and experiential luxury.
The company highlighted innovation, agility, and strategic execution as defining traits of Munasinghe’s leadership style. In practice, this may translate into technology-enabled service optimization, data-driven revenue management, and adaptive marketing strategies targeting evolving traveller demographics. Integrated resorts demand synchronized execution across departments, from gaming compliance frameworks to culinary differentiation and conference logistics.
As Colombo continues to rebuild its tourism competitiveness following economic disruptions, leadership continuity and execution discipline become critical success factors. Kamal Munasinghe to head Cinnamon Life signals a calibrated internal succession strategy rather than an external leadership overhaul, preserving institutional knowledge while positioning the property for its next development cycle.
The appointment underscores a broader shift toward professionalized management structures within Sri Lanka’s high-end hospitality sector. If effectively leveraged, Munasinghe’s tenure could strengthen Cinnamon Life’s role as a flagship urban resort while reinforcing Colombo’s standing as a luxury, entertainment, and business hub in the region.