Leisure

Devon chain to add five star hotel

M.F.Jabir in Kandy

Devon Group Kandy is to add a five star hotel to its chain with opening of the 75 roomed Canora Hotel in the Kandy city, said Chamath Weeraratne, Director Devon Hotels (Pvt) Ltd.

The new five star hotel, a BOI project is under construction and when commissioned would provide between 150-200 Kandy youth employment opportunities he said. Weeraratne told Daily News Businesses that the property is being constructed on a 260 perch land of the former Odeon Cinema Kandy.

Devon Group first went into business in the early '60s under the name board of 'Weeraratne Brothers' with the opening of the Cake House by proprietor the late M.M.P.D. Weeraratne better known as Dharmadasa Weeraratne.

'Devon' has now established itself to a prestigious business chain in the hill capital, within the catering and the hospitality industry. In 1976 Devon restaurant was opend.

In 1990 the Group opened its first hotel Devon Rest and in 1999 the three star Devon Hotel situated in Ampitiya Road Kandy and Devon Bakeaway Nugegoda was opened in 2004.Devon Hotel Kandy came under a major refurbishment in 2009 with the addition of the swimming pool and gymnasiam Weeraratne said the hotel had a large foreign client base which includes Dutch Japanese,French and Indian.

He said Devon had captured the wedding segment and has the most popular two banquet halls in Kandy.The hotel consists of two banquet halls The Grand Crystal Ball Room which could accommodate nearly 450 guests and the Roof Top which has a capacity of hosting 200 guests.

The hotel comprises a state-of-the-art restaurant-Green View and a Lobby Bar. Devon Hotel Manager Mervyn Perera said the hotel constantly maintained a high occupancy level. He said there was a very high demand for their banquet halls and December saw unprecedented bookings for weddings and home comings. He said they offer flower arrangements for reasonable prices for wedding functions at Devon Hotel. The directors of the Devon Group are Kusum Weeraratne, Gamini Weeraratne and Chamath Weeraratne.

Utility bill payments at LB Finance branches

Senior officials of LB Finance and Etisalat Lanka after signing the agreement. From left to right: Anuradha Priyanakarage - Manager Credit and Collections, Etisalat Lanka, Erash Fernand, Head of Customer Operations, Etisalat Lanka, Dumindra Ratnayaka, CEO Etisalat Lanka, J.A.S.S. Adhihetty, Managing Director LB Finance, Ms. Shyamalie Weerasooriya, Chief Financial Officer, LB Finance, Roshan Jayawardena, Assistant General Manager Marketing, LB Finance and Himal Ravi Ananda, Assistant Manager Value added services LB Finance.

Financial power house LB Finance announced the appointment of its island-wide branch network as utility bill payment centers. "It's a far-reaching step up in the public domain for LB Finance with both customers and the general public now being able to pay their utility bills through our branch network," says Assistant Manager, Himal Ravi Ananda.

The new facility will allow people to pay all their utility bills at a LB Finance branch near them and as a forerunner to this people will initially be able to pay their telephone bills.

Currently, people with Lanka Bell and Etisalat connections can pay their bills through LB Finance and preparatory work is already being carried out with other telco companies.

The facility will soon be extended for customers as well as the general public to pay all their utility bills including electricity and water.

The company's branches stand out where ever they are located due to its powerful branding riding on warm red, with each branch creating a special identity as an easily recognizable landmark.

"We enjoy wide recognition throughout the island with our own unique brand of financial services delivery. We are thriving because people see us as landmarks of trust and ready support," says Ravi Ananda.

Eco friendly holiday resort at Horakelle

Nipuna Pathirana in Minuwangoda

Riza Badudeen

Lets Travel has invested over Rs. 70 million for a novel eco friendly, holiday resort, Horakelle estate, a (Home stay Bungalow) in Minuwangoda.

The main aim of the company is to attract the airport traffic who wish to take a holiday in an eco friendly surrounding. "We want to give them a perfect rest in a natural surrounding before they embark on other excursions in the country," said creator of the project, Riza Badudeen.

He said that the bungalow situated in the Estate has been built with ultra modern facilities to provide a true feeling of 'your home away concept'. He said that one of the biggest advantages is the close proximity of the hotel from the airport.

The Bungalow is situated in a 45 acre land which is full of green life. "Currently we are opening this hotel for tourists," he said.

He further said that they have being marketing this hotel and today their main market is from Switzerland, Germany and Italy. "We also maintain a high occupancy this winter season,"

The hotel consists of six luxury rooms with attached bathrooms hot and cold water, cable TV and all other modern facilities including Wifi.

Guests relaxing at the hotel.Pictures by Sumanachandra Ariyawansa

The bungalow also boasts of having the largest hotel rooms in the Gampaha district. The management also operates a nature resort in Hambantota and is currently building a five star hotel in Pasikudah.

The staff of the holiday resort in Horakelle estate are drawn up from their estate thus not only giving them an additional income but also grooming them to be employed on a full time basis in the lucrative tourism industry. The company also introduced a Three Wheel challenge where tourists were made to race across the country in three wheelers. "This was a very successful event and we have not given it over for other parties operate. We usually like to set up pioneering ventures for others to follow," he said. He also thanked Louise Siriwardena, Chairmen and Brigitte Clement, Managing Director of Lets Travel for their r support to make these ventures successful.

He thanked the Ministry of Economic Development for their assistance in their projects.

Cathay Pacific offers special fares to Bangkok, Singapore

Experience the glorious wonders of Bangkok and the excitement of Singapore with Cathay Pacific Airways' special fares this season.

Bangkok and Singapore are two of the most popular destinations in this region" notes Ruhan Abbas, Sales and Marketing Manager for Cathay Pacific Airways, Sri Lanka.

She further elaborates; "The airline provides convenient flight schedules with our customers' comfort and convenience in mind, and operates three times a week to Bangkok and four times a week to Singapore.

Travellers can purchase tickets for these special Economy Class fares to Bangkok and Singapore until March 15, 2013, and could travel until April 30. Customers can also experience the convenience of Cathay Pacific's facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/cathaypacificLK), through regular updates on special fares, events and promotions.

Emirates to open third destination in Japan

Emirates, one of the world fastest growing airlines, announced on Monday that it is increasing its commitment to Japan with the launch of daily, non-stop flights between Dubai and Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport) on 3rd June 2013. Haneda Airport is located in Ota-ku, Tokyo and handles the majority of domestic flights to and from Tokyo; it opened its doors to international carriers following the opening of the fourth runway and the international terminal in October 2010. Haneda, which will become Emirates 131st destination, is currently ranked as the second busiest airport in Asia.

Operated by a three-class Boeing 777-200LR, EK312 will depart Dubai at 0935hrs and arrive at Haneda Airport at 0001hrs the following day.

Tokyo, Japan is home to the Tokyo Skytree, the tallest freestanding broadcasting tower in the world, and from June 3rd, Emirates will increase its commitment to Japan by flying non-stop from Dubai, home of the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, to Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport).

The return flight, EK313 will depart at 0130hrs and arrive at Dubai International Airport at 0705hrs.

"As Emirates third gateway in Japan, the Dubai to Haneda route will help to build on the vibrant relationship between the United Arab Emirates and Japan, in terms of trade and increasing the opportunities for business and tourism,said Thierry Antinori, Emirates Executive Vice President, Passenger Sales Worldwide.

Emirates has been operating to Japan since 2002 when we introduced non-stop flights to Osaka; our commitment continued when we launched flights to Narita International Airport in 2010.

We are confident that the demand in terms of both passengers and cargo is strong enough to warrant Emirates operating non-stop, daily flights to both of Tokyo airports, offering our passengers more flexibility on the route to Dubai and onwards to over 70 destinations in the Indian Ocean, Middle East, Africa and Europe, added Antinori.

Emirates longstanding partnership with Japan Airlines will be expanded to include a code share on the new Dubai-Haneda-Dubai services.

The flights will be identified with the Emirates code as well as with Japan Airlines code.

With the new daily flight to Haneda, Emirates SkyCargo is able to provide an additional 210 tonnes of cargo capacity per week, further supporting Japanese exports of mechanical components, electronic goods and automobile parts, and its imports of gas and oil products.

Dubai is an important hub for the re-export of Japanese manufactured products to the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia.

Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport) will become the second of Tokyo's airports served by Emirates non-stop flights.

Passengers will enjoy unrivalled comfort and amenities on board Emirates' Boeing 777-200LR which is equipped with eight luxurious private suites in First Class, 42 of its latest lie-flat seats in Business Class, and generous space for 216 passengers in Economy Class, along with gourmet cuisine in all cabins which has been tailored to Japanese passengers, served by Emirates multinational cabin crew.

The aircraft also features ice, Emirates' award-winning inflight entertainment system which offers over 1,400 channels of movies, TV and game entertainment on demand, which includes 40 Japanese channels With a fleet of 196 aircraft, Emirates now flies to 128 destinations, having launched services to 15 destinations in 2012, Warsaw and Algiers are set to join the network this year on 6th February and 1st March respectively.

Emirates Holidays, the airlines tour operating arm, offers holidays to Japan, with itineraries that highlight attractions in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. Emirates Holidays provides holiday options that take travellers from Tokyo the modern capital city; to the majestic Mount Fuji and the natural beauty of Hakone; to Nagoya and Kyoto, the cultural heart of Japan; and to Osaka, gateway to the Kansai region.

Bank of Ceylon donated a gift to a ‘MEGA VASI’ raffle draw winner of the Eastern Province in Ampara recently. Here the guest of honour S. Fernando, Officer in Charge, Ampara police station hands over a cheque to a winner from the Bank of Ceylon Nintavur branch. Senior Manager, Ampara A.M. Zubair and Manager Nintavur M.A.M.A. Naseer in picture. (Picture by: I . L . M . Rizan, Addalaichenai Central Correspondent)