Places like Vil Uyana can still manage to pull in the odd guest, but similar boutique resorts are standing empty.
For Geoffrey Dobbs, a British national who worked in Sri Lanka's hospitality industry for 12 years, things have never looked so bleak.
"Things are really bad. We attract the high-end clientele who can have a peaceful holiday in any part of the world," said Dobbs, who runs five small luxury hotels, including a private island in the south.
"I see a lot of bankruptcy," Dobbs said. "Sadly it's going to get worse before it gets better."
At present, hotel industry workers say the luxury sector is struggling to score the 40 percent occupancy rates needed to cover operating costs.
But even that is no longer good enough, as owners of boutique hotels -- including tea plantation mansions and colonial-era homes converted into expensive villas -- need to pay off debts and retain bored staff.
Falling prices also threaten to damage the image of Sri Lanka's luxury resorts, which have been marketed on the premise that the high tariffs at least guarantee the rich -- and possibly very famous -- a bit of peace and quiet.
At the same time, keeping prices too high means no visitors.
RSS