Derived from the Sanskrit for “mental tranquility”, Laya is a simple yet elegant brand of hotels that manages four different brands—Laya Beach, Laya Leisure, Laya Safari, and Laya Waves. This Sri Lankan company was founded in 2012 with an aim of bringing their local tourism to the international markets. As what mental tranquility is about, the hotel series focuses on bringing out the most popular sights in Sri Lanka from the forest life, calm beach life, water activities, and other entertainment-packed hotels. They want to cater to a broader set of clients with different interests or preference in what to do on the holiday.

It all started back when the Sri Lanka Army started operating the Wadduwa Holiday Resort in 1989. The resort served as a rest and recuperation area for army personnel. Many other properties were used this way, and it kept increasing. However, when the war ended in 2009, the army, with the government’s support, began to create a better nation for tourism. The war’s end was a mark of new tourist arrivals, so they took advantage of that. The soldiers of Sri Lanka are all to thank for how they saved the country’s tourism. Now, Laya gets to harvest the fruits from those seeds as well.