Back in the 1500s, great explorers- men like Ferdinand Magellan, Vasco da Gama and Christopher Columbus - sailed the seven seas in search of riches (gold, silks, spices), often discovering new lands. On one such journey, did the winds blow the Portugese to an island in the Indian Ocean, A tear-drop shaped pearl, peopled by smiling people and home to a tree whose sweetly-spicy scented inner bark was to become as prized as black pepper, and as sought-after. The island was, of course, Serendip, later to be called Ceylon, today known as Sri Lanka. The spice was Cinnamon. And till today, Sri Lanka is the world's leading source of cinnamon, producing four-fifths of the world output as well as the choicest grades. Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, the hospitality brand of John Keells Holdings, Sri Lanka's premier conglomerate, has been named after the spice synonymous with Sri Lanka. Launched at World Travel Market in London on the 14th of November 2005. it represents an experience which, in its own way, is as exotic, exciting and enticing a voyage of discovery as the perilous journeys once undertaken by the adventurers of yore. The Cinnamon brand represents a chain of modern hotels vibrant in colour, indulgent in hospitality, and committed to going the extra mile to satisfy customer needs. Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts guarantees legendary Sri Lankan hospitality through luxury, comfort, creativity and discovery. Cinnamon Grand Colombo, the flagship hotel of Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, was introduced on the 26th of November 2005 as the culmination of a $1 million brand investment program and a $22 million refurbishment of the former Colombo Plaza. The Lodge Habarana was the next to be branded as Cinnamon Lodge Habarana on the 14th of December 2006. The first resort from the Cinnamon hotel and resorts chain, it is the ideal place to indulge in the beauty of nature and undertake excursions to the cities of Sri Lanka's Cultural Triangle. Overlooking the tranquil Beira Lake, Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo is the epitome of indulgence and elegance this was the property to be launched next on the 1st of September 2009. October 2012 will bring the launch of two stunning new properties, namely Cinnamon Bey Beruwala a luxury five star resort just one and a half hours away from Colombo and Cinnamon Citadel Kandy, a four star Deluxe Hotel both of which will prove the true meaning of luxurious indulgence.