Setting the scene: Tourism rebounds & Digital expectations soar
Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, Sri Lanka’s largest hotel chain with a diverse portfolio, operates across Sri Lanka and the Maldives, offering nature- and culture-based destination travel. When Sri Lankan tourism surged up 10.2% year-over-year in early 2025*— approaching pre-2018 visitor levels, Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts recognized a critical and timely opportunity. Modern travelers weren’t just seeking accommodation; they craved authentic stories, cultural connections, and experiences that would create lasting memories.
The challenge was clear: transform their digital presence from a traditional booking platform into an inspiring storytelling canvas that could showcase destinations ranging from Colombo’s UNESCO-recognized Ramsar wetlands to the pristine coral gardens of the Maldives, while promoting major developments like City of Dreams Sri Lanka, an 800-room mixed-use resort turning Colombo into a vibrant destination in its own right.
To support this strategic pivot, Cinnamon partnered with Cendyn Web to launch a new digital experience—one that aligns with evolving guest expectations, supports multi-property operations, and drives measurable growth.
*Source: Daily Mirror Sri Lanka Tourism Report, April 2025: https://www.dailymirror.lk/business-main/Tourism-maintains-upward-momentum-with–US–256-7mn-April-earnings/245-308829
Challenge: Reimagining hospitality in the digital age
Cinnamon faced a multifaceted transformation challenge that required both technical excellence and creative vision:
- Portfolio complexity: Seamlessly presents 17 unique properties while maintaining cohesive brand storytelling across diverse destinations.
- Brand evolution: Launch refreshed brand guidelines alongside a complete digital overhaul.
- Future-ready platform: Build an agile foundation capable of evolving with guest expectations over the next 20 years.
- Technical integration: Implement 13+ connected technologies within a unified, intuitive user experience.
- Guest experience revolution: Transform the website from a booking tool into an immersive discovery platform that inspires wanderlust.
After an extensive evaluation process, Cinnamon sought a technology partner who could deliver cutting-edge capabilities while understanding their vision to honor heritage through digital innovation.
Cendyn Web: Where technology meets hospitality heart
Why Cendyn became a strategic partner
Our hospitality-focused content management system (CMS) stood out not just for its technical capabilities but for our ability to understand and amplify Cinnamon’s refreshed brand identity through digital excellence.
Scalable hospitality architecture
Cendyn’s robust CMS seamlessly supports complex multi-property portfolios, enabling real-time content updates, seamless navigation, and continuous optimization of guest journeys, critical for improving digital marketing performance across diverse markets.
Brand authenticity at scale
As Cinnamon launched new brand guidelines, our design team brought their “less is more” philosophy to life through clean, elegant UI/UX that embodies their hospitality essence—warm, welcoming, and undeniably sophisticated.
Partnership beyond technology
We provided content management autonomy, dedicated Customer Success support, and proactive optimization systems, ensuring Cinnamon could evolve their digital presence with confidence and agility.
Market-responsive agility
Our platform empowers real-time adaptation, promoting strategic properties like City of Dreams, customizing messaging for high-value segments, and showcasing unique cultural experiences that differentiate Cinnamon in competitive markets.
The relaunch of our website marks a pivotal step in Cinnamon’s digital transformation journey. We set out to create more than just a booking platform—we envisioned a storytelling hub that brings to life the unique experiences across our entire portfolio, from the vibrant City of Dreams in Colombo and the tranquil wetlands of our Sri Lankan resorts, to the pristine coastlines of the Maldives. With Cendyn’s support, we have built a scalable, intuitive digital ecosystem that deepens guest engagement, showcases our diverse excursions and destinations, drives direct revenue, and sets the foundation for personalized, data-led journeys in the years ahead. Radhey Tawar, Chief Commercial Officer, Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts
Perfect market timing: When strategy meets opportunity
The website transformation was launched at a pivotal industry moment. With tourism recovering and competition intensifying, Cinnamon needed a platform capable of rapid market response. adapting fast Cendyn’s CMS empowers the brand to respond to market changes—promoting strategic properties like Cinnamon Life at City of Dreams, Sri Lanka in real time, adapting messaging for high-value guests, and showcasing unique regional experiences that differentiate Cinnamon from its competitors. Cendyn Web delivers exactly that agility—enabling dynamic promotional strategies, personalized guest messaging, and real-time content optimization.
The Impact: A website that transcends traditional hospitality marketing, creating contextual storytelling experiences that reflect the warmth and depth of Cinnamon’s renowned physical hospitality.
By transforming its website into a storytelling and conversion platform, Cinnamon now delivers not only content but also context—bringing destinations to life in a way that reflects the warmth and depth of their physical hospitality.
Exceptional results: Digital transformation drives measurable growth
The partnership delivered extraordinary performance improvements across every key metric, demonstrating how the right digital foundation amplifies hospitality excellence.
Active users rose 71% year-over-year, with website sessions up 66%, showing strong traffic growth. The conversion rate increased 5%, and direct website revenue grew 4%. Engagement improved as views per session jumped 57%, indicating better navigation and content relevance.*
These metrics reflect the success of a digital experience built for agility, scalability, and brand impact—positioning Cinnamon to capitalize on industry momentum and build stronger guest relationships through personalized, data-led journeys.
Looking ahead, Cinnamon sees its website as central to deepening guest relationships through personalization. Leveraging Cendyn’s advanced capabilities, the brand plans to collect valuable guest data, tailor dynamic content, and create personalized itineraries that reflect the warmth of their physical hospitality, strengthening engagement, loyalty, and delivering an exceptional digital experience.
*Measurement period: September 2024 to May 2025
Transform your hospitality brand’s digital future
Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts’ remarkable success story—achieving +71% growth in active users alongside +5% conversion rate improvement—demonstrates the transformative power of strategic digital partnership in hospitality.
Their results prove that the right technology foundation doesn’t just support business growth; it amplifies authentic brand storytelling while delivering measurable revenue impact.
About Cendyn
Cendyn is a global hospitality cloud-based technology company that enables hotels to drive revenue, maximize profitability, and create deeper connections with guests through its integrated solutions. Serving hoteliers for nearly 30 years, Cendyn drives commercial success for hotels through its Find, Book, Grow promise: find the right guests, drive them to book direct, and grow loyalty and revenue across the spectrum of digital guest interactions.
Cendyn has over 35,000 customers worldwide in more than 150 countries generating more than $20 billion in annual hotel revenue. The company supports its growing customer base from locations across the globe, including the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Bangkok, and India. To find out more, visit cendyn.com
