Meals on the water at Kithulgala Rest House

Shirajiv Sirimane

COLOMBO: The Ceylon Hotels Corporation (CHC) is now looking at upgrading some of their hotels to attract more foreigners and expatriates.

With change of management of the CHC to the Gardiner Group new thinking has been introduced to the Corporation which has prompted innovative ideas.

Focus of the management has been now drawn into the Kithulgala Resthouse which has great historical and cultural value.

According to Head of Sales and Marketing Jayantha de Silva, the hotel is now undergoing a major refurbishment drive.

"New interior would be introduced and rooms too would be upgraded to suit the present demand," he said.

In a bid to cater to emerging markets new marketing strategies too have been introduced.

"We have also introduced a special - serving meals on the water - to have variety and to add more spice to the hotel," he said.

In addition the management has also tied up with an American adventure sports company to introduce special white water rafting packages, which are famous in the area.

"We want to give value for our customers," he said.

He said that they have also introduced sundecks for the existing rooms in Ella Resthouse so that guests could relax in their own balconies watching the scenic beauty in the mountains and even watch television while doing so.

"Basically we have created a fully furnished room in the balcony," he said.

Director, Operations, CHC, Harsha Thevarapperuma said that over 70 percent of their clientele are locals and they want to offer them an even better deal. "The upgrading of the hotels will also attract an additional clientele," he said.

Thevarapperuma, said that with the tie-up they have properties located all over Sri Lanka and this gives them an unmatched advantage over the others. "We have star class hotels, such as Galle Face, Lihiniya Surf, Queens and Suisse Kandy and then resorts such as Tissa and Kotmale.

In addition there are well-known resthouses and motels such as Polonnaruwa, Belihul Oya, Ambepussa, Mihintale, Sigiriya and a host of food outlets in Ambepussa, Bentota and Pinnawala," he said.

The latest addition to their food outlets is at the Leisure World in Avissawella.

With the change of management, staff training too had been on top of the agenda.

"We have regular training programs for our staff and managers and we also provide training for our chefs at the Galle Face Hotel," he said.

Bartenders at the fray

NEGOMBO: Excellence, inventiveness and creativity in bar tendering were judged recently at the Jetwing Bartenders' Challenge held at Blue Oceanic Beach Hotel, Negombo.

Sri Lanka has had Bartenders who have beaten their foreign counterparts at several international competitions. A considerable number of skilled Sri Lankan barmen are serving in the Maldives, the Middle East and in other parts of the world.

The need of bar tendering today is to satisfy the diverse needs of the customer using skills and know-how, creativity, inventiveness, communication skills and flair that combines into a style.

The objective of the Jetwing Bartenders' Challenge is to instill such abilities in their bartenders, enabling them to perform at international levels and provide the customer with service par excellence.

A maximum of three contenders per hotel were allowed to participate. The guidelines included inventiveness and presentation of the recipe, strict adherence to the time limit, quality and the skill of flaring earned extra points.

In addition contenders were allowed to use the rhythm of the music while they engaged in flaring, however wrong use of the rhythm resulted in points lost! In order to maintain the high level of transparency, the final marks obtained by each contestant in each area were displayed.

The contenders fiercely competed to win the coveted grand prize of the challenge trophy. In the end Nadeeka Wijewardena of the Blue Water won the challenge trophy. Anil Priyantha of St. Andrew's Hotel, Nuwara Eliya was pronounced the creator of the Most Innovative Cocktail, while the Best Flaremanship was awarded to Shehani Botheju of Seashells Hotel, Negombo.

"We believe that our people are our greatest asset, thus investing in their training, and recognising their skills and capabilities within their profession enhances their productivity and passion towards their job.

We are pleased of the growth we have seen in the past two years in this competition and are assured that our bartenders would indeed be 'Trend Setters' within the industry," said Hiran Cooray, Managing Director of Jetwing Hotels at the awards presentation ceremony.

Confifi Group treats clients to afternoon of Fun in the Sun

COLOMBO: Travel Trade and media gathered at the P. Sara Stadium last Saturday to enjoy the festival atmosphere at the Confifi Group Hotels Softball Cricket Sixes.

Much eagerness and relief to get away from mundane work was quite evident on the faces of the nearly 800 attendees from various local travel agents, tour operator partners, airlines and media who were invitees of the Confifi Group at this event.

Eighty teams, each comprising six players including a lady, were pitted against each other in healthy camaraderie.

Quite naturally, there were moments where emotions were stirred... but all part and parcel of a day of fun. A pity that the Sri Lankan or South African teams were not there to learn some stroke play! With the large gathering, it was a relief to see that the final was played and the tournament completed at 6 pm.

Many tested their vocal chords at a spot of Karaoke and a lively selection of music provided by Gold FM added to the enjoyment.

The support of the trading partners of Confifi - Lion Brewery Ceylon Ltd, Ole Spring Bottlers Ltd, Favorite Group, Nestle Lanka Ltd, American Water, Elephant House contributed to making the day that much more enjoyable.

Kelum Gangodawila of Ceylon Tours was adjudged the "Man of the Tournament" for his consistent performance with both the bat and the ball while the title of "Confifi Cricket Queen" was presented to Harshi de Silva (Ceylon Tours) for her energetic and sporty approach.

Anushka Lovell, General Manager-Sales & Marketing of Confifi, hostess par excellence, and the dynamic sales team of the group pulled out all the stops to dish out yet another gala event, which was appreciated and enjoyed by all.

The Chairman of the Confifi Group, Prof M.T.A. Furkhan was the chief guest, whilst the CEO, Anura Lokuhetty formally thanked all those who joined in this fun-filled event.