Gateway Hotel in $10m expansion drive

by Sapumali GALAGODA

Taj Airport Garden Hotel, Colombo was rebranded as The Gateway Hotel (Airport Garden Colombo) last week. It is the Gateway Hotels and Resorts' first international hotel in Sri Lanka.

The Gateway Hotels and Resorts brand is an international business brand and is a part of the TATA Group, India's premier business house. "Travellers to Sri Lanka can look forward to enjoying the Gateway experience for the first time because this is the only Gateway Brand out of India," said Chief Operating Officer Gateway Hotels, P.K. Mohankumar.

He said that even during the off season the arrival rate of guests is around 80 percent due to the trust placed in the Gateway brand. This is the 21st operating hotel and the 39th hotel in the chain. The hotel caters to upscale business travellers. The hotel has undergone refurbishment with a large number of guest rooms done.

The hotel is expanding by adding another 100 rooms with an investment of $ 10 million. The project will be completed by 2012. With expansion the group expects to increase the price of a room to $ 120-125.

Gateway Hotels and Resorts are upscale full service hotels. The brand was launched in September 2008 with 26 hotels and 17 more under development. It is the third most recalled brand in India.

Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces was established in 1903, the 92 hotels in 53 locations across India and an additional 16 international hotels in Maldives, Malaysia, Australia, United Kingdom, USA, Bhutan, Africa, Middle East and Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka the Taj Group has three hotels. Taj Exotica in Bentota which was rebranded as Vivante, Taj Airport Garden Hotel in Seeduwa which was rebranded as The Gateway Hotel and Taj Samudra in Colombo was rebranded as Taj Luxury.