JKH Statement to the Media (26th April 2019) – Cinnamon Grand Colombo

Statement to the Media released on 26th April 2019:

The explosions on Easter Sunday morning, one of which was at the Taprobane restaurant at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel, Colombo, claimed precious lives and injured many. This senseless act took away from us and also injured our team members and our valued guests. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to all those affected at Cinnamon Grand and in the attacks in other locations.

The courageous and speedy action by the team at Cinnamon Grand, in assisting with emergency medical evacuations for those affected, in the face of shock and profound grief was truly remarkable and led to saving many lives. This extraordinary attitude and response at a time of strife, including the securing of the hotel, gave comfort to our guests, with most of the guests at Cinnamon Grand opting to remain at the hotel. The hotel has remained operational throughout for inhouse guests. We are humbled by these actions and salute our team at Cinnamon Grand and all those who have assisted us in numerous ways including hospital staff, the police, security forces and so many others, too numerous to mention.

The attacks on Easter Sunday will have a negative impact on the tourism industry and other sectors of the economy. While we will play our part to help the industry and country achieve a speedy recovery, we call upon the relevant authorities to take urgent steps to prevent a recurrence of these heinous acts.

In the aftermath of this tragedy, security measures have been enhanced and additional safety measures introduced, in consultation with the authorities and security experts, to ensure the safety of our guests and team members in all our Cinnamon City and Resort Hotels and all our places of business. Cinnamon Grand, Colombo has commenced taking new bookings from 22nd April 2019 and all its restaurants – excluding those in the affected area on the lower ground floor at the rear of the hotel, will open to the public from 30th April 2019. All prior bookings for banquets and rooms continue as planned.