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| Sunday, 4 December 2005 |
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Business |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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$ 22 million Cinnamon Grand unveiled by Surekha Galagoda
The first hotel of the Made in Sri Lanka brand of Hospitality Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts, the Cinnamon Grand previously known as Colombo Plaza was unveiled last week in Colombo. The cinnamon brand is about indulgence. The main rule is that we do not have any rules and regulations, said CEO Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts and Executive Vice President John Keells Holdings Rohan Karr. He said that the group has invested US$22 million on the refurbishment program of Cinnamon Grand, the chains flagship hotel. We hope to have 10 international properties by 2010 while Trans Asia which is under the JKH umbrella will be renamed Cinnamon Lakeside and Bentota Beach will be renamed Cinnamon Beach by July 2006. The first property to be renamed outside Sri Lanka is a property in the Maldives, which will be done in October 2006 as Cinnamon Alidhoo. The cinnamon brand is about making people of all ages feel cared for pampered and spoilt. The brand promises you comfort, creativity and discovery. It is full of colour and passion, affordable and within your reach. Cinnamon is about modern comforts that retain valued traditional touches.
Explaining the rationale about selecting the name Cinnamon, Karr said that Pure Cinnamon is native to Sri Lanka and was the most well kept secret of global trade during the medieval period. Cinnamon still represents rarity, refinement and charm. He said that the brand cinnamon was tested in eight international markets and found that it encouraged thoughts of a warm friendly experience. This he said gave the brand permission to travel in the region while retaining its inherent authenticity. JKH Chairman Vivendra Lintotawela said that the John Keells Group has owned and managed hotels for over 25 years and our formula for success has changed with changing times and trends. We have watched the local tourism industry grow stayed abreast of new developments and invested rapidly in the last few months.
The hotel has come a long way since the John Keels Group acquired the Colombo Plaza in 2003 and what was a loss making tired hospitality product has been transformed. The hotel now operates at its full capacity of 501 rooms. The newly refurbished wing houses possibly the best rooms in the city. The hotels banqueting and conference facilities are at present unparalleled. A string of speciality restaurants, each of its own distinctive style continuous events and theme nights has already established the hotel as one of the most sought after venues in the city. ####### SriLankan Cargo launches new and improved Website SriLankan Cargo launched its new and improved Website www.srilankancargo.aero. "The enhancements to our Website are an integral part of our efforts at continuous improvement in providing the most convenient service for our customers. We have made the Website as user-friendly as possible, which will facilitate the best solutions for all cargo requirements," said Head of Cargo, Nalin Rodrigo. One of the main features of the Website is the modern, streamlined design that ensures a vastly-superior download speed, placing information at the fingertips of customers in a rapid and convenient manner. The home page is also contained in a single screen, ensuring that customers can do away with the annoying need to keep scrolling up and down. In addition, all the main links on the Website are at the bottom of each page, ensuring minimum wastage of time. "Every page on the new Website contains a human element enabling the site
to take on a personality that is warm, friendly, caring and helpful, which
is the image of SriLankan Airlines," Rodrigo said. "We worked with several
focus groups which tested the new Website and suggested further improvements
which we have included to ensure the completeness of its user-friendly
nature," he said. |
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