The Gateway Hotel:

Airport Garden in Rs 1.3 bn expansion drive

To launch Wedding & Bridal Show on November 10 :

M F Jabir

The Gateway Hotel Airport Garden Colombo is on a Rs 1.3 billion expansion process, said Shekhar Walavalkar, General Manager The Gateway Hotel Airport Garden Colombo in a press conference held to inform the launch of the Wedding & Bridal show on November 10.

He said 99 ‘sellable units’, a spa and new lobby would be added to the existing facility making it one of the flagship hotels in the region. He said the lobby would be completed by January 2013 and the suites operational by August 2013. Walavalkar said plans are afoot to construct a separate banquet venue at the end of 2014, after the Rs 1.3 billion expansion drive is complete. He said only 20 % of the 32 acre hotel land has been currently utilized and as a result the hotel has a tremendous advantage due to the availability of this huge underutilized land space and recently had extended its vehicle parking facility.

The hotels occupancy level is generally over 80 % and with the opening of the Colombo Katunayake highway it plans to attract the segment of clientele that normally stays in Colombo he said. Commenting on the branding structure of the group he added that it is done in a manner to cater to the requirements of different client levels. Under this, process the- 160 room Taj Exotica resort in Bentota now functions as Vivanta-Bentota.

Given the segmented nature of the tourism industry, the re-branding is in keeping with the luxury group's diversification strategy to be present in different market niches, under a unique and distinct branding.