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| Sunday, 21 December 2003 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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"Experience the taste and comfort of home"at Welikanda Rest House by BEVERLEY JANSZ 'Experience the Taste and Comfort of Home' (Gedarawage Kema Velak - Thamangema Navathenak). This is the signature theme of Ceylon Hotels Corporation (CHC) Chairman, Bodhisiri Ranasinghe to woo tourists, both local and foreign. Indeed it is the colossal impact that the Ceylon Hotels Corporation has made through its chain of hotels spread islandwide that has caught on.
It has been adventuring with a mixture of the niceties of the hotel industry, with nature's scenic beauty in aesthetic Sri Lanka. This is what has blended with the thousands of tourists pouring in as far as taste of beauty and food go. The tourist, for one, finds it all fascinating, the splendour of decor set in tropical Sri Lanka such as the Welikanda Rest House. Chairman, Ranasinghe's vision to add more hotels to the CHC chain, took a leap forward this month when the CHC took over the Ruhunu Ketha Rest House. Located around 32 km from Polonnaruwa on the Polonnaruwa/Batticaloa road, it has now been re-named as Welikanda Rest House and given a facelift. Welikanda Rest House stands in a most scenic location, overlooking the Ruhunu Ketha Wewa and surrounded by lush paddy fields, offering guests a very pleasant climate for a peaceful holiday. The rest house has 10 spacious rooms, some of which are air conditioned. All rooms have been refurbished and now offer modern facilities, says Ranjith Balasuriya, Senior Manager, Marketing/Travel, Ceylon Hotels Corporation, who is going all out with his team of marketing personnel, to popularise Welikanda Rest House among tourists. Welikanda Rest House is an ideal midway stop over for tourists visiting Polonnaruwa and Paseekuda, said S. A. Piyaratne, the newly appointed manager of the rest house. Piyaratne has served CHC for over 35 years. Beginning his hotel career as a steward at Sigiriya Rest House, he climbed the ladder of success to be appointed the manager of Welikanda Rest House. He has now been given the challenge to make this rest house, one of the most sought after tourist spots in Polonnaruwa district. Welikanda Rest House is an ideal base for tourists to explore the historical ruins of Polonnaruwa and the Cultural Triangle. In close proximity are the famous Dimbulagala Temple, Pasikuda Beach (a two hour drive) and many more sites of tourist interest. With the addition of Welikanda Rest House, the CHC now owns and manages 19 hotels and rest houses in some of the most scenic locations in Sri Lanka. ####### Saman Villas Saman Villas, Bentota, was the first Sri Lankan hotel to join Small Luxury Hotels of the world in 1995 when the hotel first opened its doors. However, in the year 2000 Saman Villas voluntarily resigned from being a member. Nevertheless, effective from August 1, 2003 Saman Villas once again became a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the world. The 27 roomed luxury hotel, is uniquely designed and is the first of its kind to be erected in the country which is in the style of a boutique. The villas, consists of a two storey edifice which has a superior suite upstairs & deluxe suite downstairs. The facilities include a mini bar, TV, CD player, radio, hair dryer etc. The hotel also offers aromatherapy treatments at the "Sahana" Spa & also includes a gymnasium for guests who seek recreation activities. Saman Villas also has the distinction of being the only hotel in Sri Lanka to be a member of "The Most Romantic Hotels of the World" which has a gamut of hotels and resorts that offer the highest level of service and facilities in conjunction with romantic ambience. Jetwing hotels also manage 15 other properties, which range from the West coast to the Hill country as well as the South. The hotels in the south are: Lighthouse Hotel & Spa-Galle, Tropical Villas-Beruwela, Mermaid Hotel & Club-Kalutara & The Blue Water-Wadduwa. ###### Traditional Chinese wedding at Galadari The former secretary to the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka, Xu Yan, and his bride Wang Hong Liu, who is a senior member in the Chinese Embassy in Singapore, held their wedding at the Galadari Hotel in Colombo last week. Xu Yan has very close relations with the members of the diplomatic core, and the travel industry in Sri Lanka. Yan and his bride also spent their honeymoon in Sri Lanka which is their 'second home', they say. Yan says, he has spent 3 wonderful years in sunny Sri Lanka with warm friendly people. He cannot express in words how much it meant to him to be able to say "I do" in Sri Lanka. Celebrating the wedding in Sri Lanka is a significant event which shows the confidence they have in Sri Lanka as a very pleasant destination for weddings and holidays. Senior officials of the Chinese Embassy including Ambassador Sun Guoxiang, the Political Counsellor Zhang Weiguo,First Secretary, Commercial, Madam Dong Jiang and all senior officials of the embassy and friends who are working in Chinese projects in Sri Lanka, attended the wedding being a very special occasion. The wedding was a grand success at the Galadari Hotel Ballroom with all Chinese traditions. |
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