Travel

Earl’s Regency Kandy goes for investment and expansion

Earl’s Regency Hotel, Kandy launched its 10th anniversary celebrations by unveiling plans for an investment and expansion program.

For the past decade, since its establishment in 1999, the Earl’s Regency has represented the best of five-star hospitality hosting many local and foreign dignitaries and heads of state. The Earl’s Regency is today the flagship hotel of Kandy, providing a range of modern five-star facilities tastefully combined with traditional hill country hospitality.

Earl’s Regency Kandy

This year, celebrating 10 years in the hospitality industry, together with permanent peace in the country, the Earl’s Regency will embark on an investment program to position itself as a high-end tourism service provider. This is in keeping with the national vision of marketing Sri Lanka as a high-end tourist destination.

As part of this plan, the hotel will expand its luxury services to include a new, international standard spa.

“The spa will be managed by an international spa company. This will attract more demand for luxury hotel rooms and luxury services”, said Earl’s Regency Hotel, Kandy General Manager Jeevaka Weerakone.

As part of its expansion plans the Earl’s Regency has also begun work on a new banquet hall, earmarked to be the biggest in the Central Province.

“We have commenced ground work to upgrade our services by introducing a Grand Banquet Hall. This will definitely be the largest in the Central Province”, said Weerakone.

Originally established with 86 rooms in 1999, the Earl’s Regency has already expanded its high-end room capacity and has also added a fine dining restaurant. In 2005, the fine dinning restaurant ‘Mirabelle’ was added to the Earl’s Regency introducing a gourmet dining experience to visitors.

A new wing, consisting of 18 deluxe rooms, named the ‘Knuckles Wing’, was also added in the same year, increasing the total number of rooms to 104 and offering a luxury selection to visitors.

This year, the Earl’s Regency will initiate plans to further expand its room capacity from 104 to 125, to cater to increased tourism with the end of the war.

“The expansion of room capacity to 125 rooms is to meet the anticipated increase in demand for tourism in the hill region of Sri Lanka”, said Weerakone.

The Earl’s Regency Hotel, which is owned by Sumiko Lanka Hotels (Pvt) Ltd, had the grand opening on December 10, 1999. For the past nine years the hotel has been managed by Aitken Spence Hotel Managements (Pvt) Ltd, a subsidiary of the blue chip company, Aitken Spence PLC.

The two companies, Sumiko Lanka Hotels and Aitken Spence Hotel Managements, have consistently maintained a close relationship that has been instrumental in making the Earl’s Regency the success it is today.

“The managing company, Aitken Spence Hotel Managements, has been a pillar of support with their professionalism in the industry”, said Weerakone.

Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo felicitates 96 associates

Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo recently felicitated 96 associates who have been serving the hotel for 5-20 years at the annual Long Service Awards ceremony.

“Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo has witnessed many changes since its inception,” said Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo General Manager Neroy Marso. “It takes great commitment to work in the same establishment for so many years, particularly through changes in identity and management, and we are glad to have this opportunity to appreciate the long-standing members of our team who have proven their mettle over the passage of time.”

Human Resources, Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo Director Ms. Wasanthi Stephen said, “The hotel industry is a dynamic one which sees a high level of turnover with the emergence of better opportunities.

In these times when everyone is seeking to better their prospects, it is very important to recognise and reward loyalty and commitment.

This is precisely what we do at our annual Long Service Awards. We are honoured to have such faithful team-mates and we hope that their undiminished service would be a source of inspiration for us all.”

Miami hotel moves 300 guests due to water-borne bacteria

An upscale hotel in downtown Miami has relocated 300 guests after a bacteria in its water system was suspected in one death and two hospitalizations.

The Miami-Dade County health department said the problem at the EPIC hotel was the bacteria Legionella pneumophila, which causes Legionnaires’ disease. The hotel opened just a year ago.

Authorities said they believed the installation of a powerful water filter at the hotel, which was to remove chlorine from tap water, allowed the bacteria to grow in the water system in the tropical US city.

One European guest died in September and two others were treated in hospital in November and December, which led to the investigation, authorities said. They did not say where the victims were from. The hotel said in a statement it opted to “notify guests and staff of the possible presence of bacteria in its water system, and to engage in water remediation efforts.

“EPIC is working towards a quick and thorough resolution to the water issue, and looks forward to welcoming its guests back as soon as possible,” the hotel said.

AFP

BA travellers face Christmas strike misery

Hundreds of thousands of British Airways passengers face travel misery over the busy Christmas and New Year period after cabin crew voted Monday to strike over job cuts and pay.

Britain’s biggest union Unite said its members planned to strike for 12 days between December 22 and January 2 — a decision BA chief executive Willie Walsh described as “senseless”, while also vowing to stand firm over job cuts.

The industrial action comes at a critical point for loss-making British Airways, which is slashing costs and attempting to merge with Spanish carrier Iberia in a desperate fight to stay competitive.

“After long discussions... we are planning to withdraw our labour for a period of 12 days starting 22nd December,” Unite said in a statement after staff voted 9-1 in favour of striking.

The announcement is a major blow for BA’s many passengers that are planning to fly worldwide with the British airline over the festive period. BA had carried 2.34 million passengers in November.

“British Airways is extremely disappointed that Unite is planning massive disruption for hundreds of thousands of our customers over the Christmas/New Year holiday period,” the airline said in a statement.

Walsh said there was “no justification for threatening such extreme action,” adding: “It is very sad that they are seeking to use the Christmas holiday plans and family reunions of hundreds of thousands of people to try to pursue their case.” The chief executive also insisted that BA “will not be reversing... changes to onboard crew numbers.” BA had in October announced it was cutting 1,700 cabin crew positions and introducing a two-year pay freeze on staff keeping their jobs.

A total of 10,288 cabin crew voted on the strike action, with 92.49 percent in favour of the proposal.

Unite said the decision to strike was not taken “lightly, especially during the financial strife that the company finds itself in”.

BA’s share price closed down 0.15 percent to 201 pence in the wake of the strike announcement. London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index, on which BA is traded, ended the day one percent higher.

AFP

Club Med plans ski village in China

Upmarket French leisure group Club Med is branching out in China where it will open a ski village next year to boost its profits, it said on Friday, reporting a fall in yearly earnings.

“We... aim to make China one of our largest markets within the next five years, with five managed villages due to open there” by 2015, the group’s chief executive Henri Giscard d’Estaing said in an earnings statement.

The company said it was finalising a management contract for its first venture in China, a ski village due to open in 2010.

Club Med, which offers trendy tailor-made package holidays in its “villages,” reported a loss of 53 million euros (78 million dollars) for the year to October 31, due to restructuring costs.

Its sales revenues fell by nine percent to 1.36 billion euros from the previous 12-month period, it said.

“We are steadfastly and determinedly pursuing Club Med’s strategy as the worldwide specialist in upmarket, all-inclusive vacations, by leveraging our brand,” Giscard d’Estaing said.

“We are continuing to win over more upscale customers despite the crisis.”