Otherland Hotels has announced its entry into Sri Lanka with the upcoming launch of Otherland Galle, a 66-key oceanfront property set to open in June 2026. Located near Galle Fort on the southern coast, this marks the brand’s first international project and a key step in its expansion across South Asia.

Founded in 2023 in Bengaluru by Rishi Sreedharan and Samarth Gowda, the brand was created to offer a fresh take on lifestyle hospitality. With its first property in Galle, Otherland Hotels aims to position itself within a space that connects local culture, travel, and creative communities. The location has been chosen for its surf culture, growing tourism appeal, and evolving creative scene.

The upcoming property is designed to go beyond a traditional hotel stay, focusing on experiences that feel connected to the destination. The brand’s approach is built around four key ideas: fluid experiences, rooms as basecamp, human hospitality, and differentiated F&B. Through this, Otherland aims to create spaces that are both functional and engaging for modern travellers.

Speaking on the launch, Rishi Sreedharan, Founder & CEO, Otherland Hotels, said: "South Asia is loud, alive, dripping with culture and taste, and deserves a hospitality brand that can speak its language without putting on a costume. Otherland is our vision to achieve this. We want to be unmistakable somewhere, and then somewhere else, and then again , each time earning our place with a distinctive lifestyle language, built for the modern traveller who wants more than just an accommodation. Galle, with its excellent surf culture, evolving tourism landscape, and exciting creative subcultures, is exactly the kind of place where we want to be."

The project is being developed with the vision of Emanuel Sidhartha as Co-Founder, bringing in local insight from Sri Lanka’s hospitality and cultural ecosystem.

Adding to this, Samarth Gowda, Co-Founder & COO, Otherland Hotels, said: "The choice of Galle as our first location felt like the truest version of what Otherland could be, layered, alive, and completely its own. For us, going international didn't mean going global in the conventional sense. It meant finding a place in our own backyard that the world hadn't fully discovered yet, and building something there that belongs. Independent hotels, at their best, don't just reflect a destination, they amplify it. That's the only way we know how to do this."

With this launch, Otherland Hotels is setting the foundation for a wider presence across the region. The brand has outlined plans to build a network of experience-led hotels, restaurants, and beach clubs across South Asia, with Galle being the first step in this journey.