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| Friday, 6 June 2003 |
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'Rhythms of Serendipity' to lure tourists By Tharika Goonathilake Sri Lankan traditional dance forms in all their pageantry, rhythms and rituals, from the village to the theatre, condensed into a regular Cultural Show, is the latest of tourist diversions introduced by the Sri Lanka Tourist Board, to enhance Colombo's line up of night time entertainment.
According to Sri Lanka Tourist Board Chairman Paddy Withana, there is a dearth of entertainment of a traditional nature especially for visitors in Colombo. He said that at present there is no organised event happening in the City featuring quality entertainment of a distinctive traditional flavour, even though Sri Lanka has a rich potential of creative and talented artistry. "This cultural evening will help to set the stage for artists and dancers a chance to display their talents, while helping to provide added attractions for tourists, expatriates and even the general public to see Sri Lanka's rich cultural heritage in the form of dance and music," he said. The event, the first of its kind in the country will also inspire and give a much needed impetus to cultural artistes of Sri Lanka and provide a regular economic incentive. Withana said the event will be a regular feature from September this year, with a selected preview already being given to those of the travel trade in its first introductory performance yesterday. The Elphinstone Theatre, will play host to the cultural show which is being targeted to `get on stage' every Thursdays and Saturday evenings, catering to the height of weekly tourist arrivals. ###### Ceylon Continental Hotel to undergo Rs 200 million room upgrade The Ceylon Continental Hotel Colombo, the successor to the Intercontinental Hotel, will undergo a massive refurbishment program later this year to further enhance its facilites for the business and leisure traveller. The second phase of the Rs 200 million refurbishment drive will see the renovation of its balance 120 rooms (250 in total ) into international standards, the introduction of a new ballroom, Cat's Eye and a host of other facilities for product enhancement.
"There is a flux in business as a result of the peace process and the destination generating interest as a safe destination to visit. Our Chairman Vickram Sharma has huge confidence in the potential of the hotel and the destination.The second phase of the reniovation program is part of our commitment to enhance the hotel with a host of unparalled service and quality of product for our clientele, " Anil Jayamanne, General Manager, Ceylon Continental Hotel said. He said that the hotel's ideal locality in the heart of the capital, a whistle blow from the financial hub of Colombo has made it a much sought-after business hotel in Sri Lanka. ###### Saman Villas: in "The Small Luxury Hotels of the World" Saman Villas, Bentota with effective from 1st August, 2003 will once again be adorned as a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the world. Saman Villas was the first Sri Lankan hotel to join the Small Luxury Hotels of the world in 1995 when the hotel first opened its doors. However, in the year 2000 Saman Villas voluntarily resigned from being a member. Nevertheless. The 27-roomed luxury hotel, is uniquely designed and is the first of its kind to be erected in the country which is in the style of a boutique. The villas, consists of a two storey edifice which has a superior suite upstairs & deluxe suite downstairs. The facilities include a mini bar, TV, CD player, radio, hair dryer etc. The hotel also offers aromatherapy treatments at the "Sahana" Spa & also includes a gymnasium for guests who seek recreation activities. Saman Villas also has the distinction of being the only hotel in Sri Lanka to be a member of "The Most Romantic Hotels of the World" which has a gamut of hotels and resorts that offer the highest level of service and facilities in conjunction with romantic ambience. Jetwing hotels also manage 15 other properties, which range from the West coast to the Hill country as well as the South. The hotels in the south are: Lighthouse Hotel & Spa-Galle, Tropical Villas-Beruwela, The Villa Riviera-Beruwela, Mermaid Hotel & Club-Kalutara & The Blue Water-Wadduwa. ###### St. Andrew's wins 36 awards St. Andrew's Hotel Nuwara Eliya won 36 awards at the recently concluded 'April Blooms' annual flower competition at Nuwara Eliya. The 36 awards won by the hotel include four trophies, nine first places and thirteen second places.
We received only 7 awards last year and the high number of awards is a appreciation of rout hard work, this official said. St. Andrew's Hotel has a wonderful nature trail, which is set along a foot patch, which was constructed by the British, which leads to a water catchment up on a ridge. This is provided free of charge to the guests where by they are accompanied by the resident naturalist. At the back of the hotel, the resident naturalist has commenced a program of habitat restoration and habitat creation to create a sanctuary for wildlife, this includes a Model Wetland Project and a Dragon Fly Reserve, this is in its effort to promote eco tourism. Jetwing hotel also manages 15 other properties ranging from the south to the west and also the hill capital. They are: The Blue Water-Wadduwa, Mermaid Hotel & Club-Kalutara, Saman Villas-Bentota, The Villa Riviera-Beruwela, Tropical Villas-Beruwala, Royal Oceanic Hotel-Negombo, Blue Oceanic Beach Hotel-Negombo, Seashells Hotel-Negombo, Hotel Sunset Beach-Negombo, Tamarind Tree-Katunayake, Ayurveda Pavilions-Negombo, Sea Garden-Negombo, Hunas Falls-Kandy. |
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Produced by Lake House |
The Cultural extravaganza, titled `Rhythms of Serendipity,' has been
organised in conjunction with the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Sri Lankan
Airlines and the travel and tourism trade, on the lines of similar events
held overseas.
The refurbishment initiative was part of the overall renovation drive
following its aquisition in 2000 by its present owners Hotel Services
Ceylon Limited.
The hotel owned and operated by Jetwing Hotels is as old as 100 years
and still preserves the charms of the colonial era with the English Hill
Country touch. According to an official of the hotel the garden had been
always well maintained and in recent times we paid a great emphasis on
this area and this was the reason for the hotel to receive such a number
of awards.
