TRAVEL

Giritale Hotel invest Rs. 20m for refurbishment

Sanjeevi Jayasuriya

View of the hotel

Giritale Hotel under went Rs 20 million refurbishment to provide a facelift to the hotel which is one of the oldest in Minneriya. "The hotel is one of the old star grade hotels built over looking the Giritale tank which is believed to be Sri Lanka's first artificial water tank built many hundred years ago.

The hotel under went complete refurbishment giving an appealing look in attracting more tourists," Giritale Hotel Resident manager T. Ganeshan told Daily News Business.The refurbishment was completed last year which is a 2 start plus category and applied for 3 star status. The property is in an acreage of 14 out of which the hotel is built in 4 acre land. The USP for Giritale Hotel is the paranomic view and quality of food, he said.

Located within the cultural triangle, it is in easy travelling distance to ancient historic cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa.

The hotel is surrounded by the lush vegetation of the forest and is serenaded by the sounds of lapping waters of the Tank and many different species of wild life in the adjoining wilderness. The refurbishment was also aimed at upgrading room facilities. By making the two room category in to same level, the Giritale Hotel now has 8 Deluxe rooms and 34 standard rooms with similar facilities.

The renovation was carried out room by room basis and in keeping with the current trend the facilities were upgraded. We have introduced novel facilities to the rooms and the toilet floor was re-tiled while providing new equipment in TV and AC. Among the other facilities are the Ayurveda Centre, in-house laundry and coffee shop.

The hotel arranges excursions and visitors could engage in bird watching, village tours, jungle trekking, elephant rides and safaris.

The Hotel is at the central point to Sigiriya, Anuradhapura and Baticcaloe. Visitors look forward for the village tour which gives them a glimpse of village life and a pleasant experience. It provides local food and the guests' comments are very encouraging, he said.

The majority of tourists are from Holland, Denmark, Belgium, China, Malaysia, India and Russia. The two spacious conference halls provide ideal venue for corporate events and the Hotel is aiming to become a preferred conferencing venue.

It is already a venue for honeymooners and attracts more business from this segment.

The tranquil atmosphere in the hotel is an added attraction for wedding functions. The dedicated staff has a special local touch to make the guest's stay comfortable.Giritale Hotel is an A grade certified and is an ideal location to pamper one's mind and relax in a tranquil environment.

Lucknawi Food Maestro at Maharaja Palace opening

Anjum Hasan the renowned Lucknawi chef was in Colombo all the way from Lucknow, the gastronomical capital of North India,for the opening of Maharaja Palace, which specializes in royal Moghul cuisine.

Famed for reviving authentic Nawabi food, Anjum Hasan, the MBA turned restauranteur and caterer prides on her food being authentic, refined and sophisticated reflecting true Moghul culture.

As such her presence at the three day gala opening of Maharaja Palace, which was held recently, was indeed an indication of the authenticity of the restaurant.

Speaking about Maharaja Palace, Anjum said, "look at the ambience, it is elegant and luxurious. But, more than anything else, Maharaja Palace provides a holistic culinary experience, reflecting a truly royal feel." The brilliant white mansion and the tastefully decorated interiors reflect the grandeur of the Moghuls.

As the mahogany doors opened, glamorously attired guests were treated as Maharajahs and Maharanis themselves. "You find briyanis and kababs in various places around the world but at Maharaja Palace, what sets it apart is that it brings to the table the distinct, unique, sophisticated and subtle flavours of Lucknow. The kababs are soft and succulent, and they just melt in your mouth," explained Anjum.

It would not be wrong to say that "the Maharaja" experience is truly royal.

Anjum Hasan manages Meal Weal Catering and Consultancy Services and is a specialist in Lucknow cuisine.

She is also well-known for organizing food festivals in many cities in India as well as in Dubai and Lahore.

Tough summer ahead for markets, analysts forecast

Despite making progress, the eurozone debt crisis remains unsolved and, in a repeat of last summer, could still bring nasty surprises to global stock markets in July and August, analysts said.

In measuring up the coming summer weeks, "market sentiment is extremely negative," said Alexandre Hezez, a trader at asset management firm Convictions AM.

With many investors on holiday, trading volumes plummet in July and August which makes for even bigger swings up and down, analysts warned. The Paris stock exchange plummeted 18 percent between July 1 and September 1, 2011.

Since then, eight summits, a budgetary pact, a new rescue fund and more than one trillion euros ($1.22 trillion) injected by the ECB into the struggling financial sector have failed to end the eurozone debt crisis.

Last summer Greece sparked panic, but concerns for Athens have receded to the background after parties wanting the country to remain in the eurozone won an election in June. Now Spain and Italy are riling traders, with sovereign borrowing rates for both countries spiking to unsustainable levels on the secondary bond market.

"The end of July and the month of August could be very intense," warned Jean-Francois Robin, an investment strategist at Natixis.

AFP