"Sri Lanka is a destination that has great potential and opportunity and we hope to capitalise on that and establish a strong presence in the country," Simon Cooper, president and managing director Marriott, Asia Pacific said in a statement.
Sri Lanka has seen a tourism boom after a 30-year war ended in 2009, with investors pouring money into hotels.
"The resort is being built according to Marriott International's five star brand standards, with a beach frontage of 115 meters on the Galle-Matara road in the South-East of the country," East West chairman Nahil Wijesuriya said.
"The construction is being carried out in-house by East West Engineering Services (Pvt) Ltd. so we have direct control of every aspect of the construction of the resort and are confident that it will be of the highest standards and quality."
Weligama, located 144km from Sri Lanka's ca