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| Sunday, 5 January 2003 |
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Business |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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The "Thilanka" story by BEVERLEY JANSZ The branches of the green trees sway atop the hills...the cool air enhances the sounds of the rushing water...look up and you see the birds flying in the blue, blue sky...it is paradise!
Tucked inside the foothills of the rain-forest of Udawattekelle, overlooking the picturesque Kandy Lake is Hotel Thilanka the closest place to paradise, as spoken of by many a satisfied guest from around the globe. Named after the three kingdoms of the medieval kings of Sri Lanka, Ruhunu, Maya and Pihiti, "Thi-Lanka" this luxurious 100- room hotel brings out a mix of typical Sri Lankan comfort and hospitality coupled with bewitching and entrancing Kandyan traditions. The hotel has 50 deluxe rooms. Originally an exquisitely decorated private house, Hotel Thilanka was converted to a five roomed guest house in 1976 and has grown ever since, while retaining its regal splendour in every nook and corner of the hotel. A panoramic view of the mountain ranges, luscious gardens at Thilanka and the bustling city of Kandy, greet your eye as you sit out on the balcony of your room. The spacious rooms retain the flavour of an era gone by, but sports the modern amenities which are essential for comfort and convenience including telephone, room service, piped music and hot and cold water, with a mini bar and television in the deluxe rooms. The Heritage Wing and the Lobby preserve its theme of antiquity, which includes original Victorian wall and floor tiles. The many corridors lead you to pleasurable vistas - Senkadagala Coffee Shop and Restaurant serving gourmet Eastern and Western cuisine and the Woodpecker Bar that tickles your palate with some of the world's best cocktails. But the greatest discovery as you emerge onto a terrace in the hillside, is a crystal clear swimming pool that soars above the city of Kandy, complete with a sun deck, a swim-up bar and a miniature waterfall that tumbles into a fish pond. The ideal location for a banquet or conference, Hotel Thilanka's extensive communication facilities offer the most up-to-date technology for the corporate movers. Coupled with IDD, internet, e-mail, a fully functional business centre and a sauna or massage at the ayurvedic centre thrown in at the end of the day, conferencing at Hotel Thilanka is a relaxing experience. Hotel Thilanka is the ideal base to sample some of Sri Lanka's diverse cultural heritage and tourist attractions. The closest is the world famous Temple of the Tooth Relic in the heart of Kandy and the Bahirawakanda Temple housing a giant seated Buddha statue, both just five minutes away from the hotel. The Dambulla Rock Cave Temple, Sigiriya Rock Fortress the 8th wonder of the world, Aluvihara Temple in Matale, Lankatilake and the Embekke Temples are for the culturally inclined, while a short walk will get you to the Udawattekele Rain Forest and the cultural show. For the sports minded, the Victoria Golf Course in just 30 minutes away. Other interesting sites include the Hantana Tea Plantation, the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage and the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens. Set in three acres of garden, situated 488 metres above sea level in the World Heritage city of Kandy, Hotel Thilanka encompasses all that is Sri Lankan - the aura of age-old splendour steeped in cultural traditions with the subtlety of friendly and courteous service and the Sri Lankan smile that greets you wherever you go - 'Welcome to Paradise!' is the theme of Thilanka. ************** Sala - tile factory turned hotel Converting a tile factory into a unique hotel complex, is something novel in Sri Lanka's hotel industry. The Sala Tile Factory at Salawa, Kosgama is now Sala Factory Hotel, a unique hotel complex patronised not only by tourists but also by passengers travelling along the Colombo-Hatton highway.
The brainchild behind this concept, is veteran hotelier, Rohan de Silva, Director Operations of Sala Factory Hotel, Kosgama. "I wanted to follow the Tea Factory Hotel, Kandapola concept which has become popular worldwide!," De Silva said. The age-old machinery of the Sala tile factory stands for immense tourist interest.The outer periphery of the furnace of the tile factory, has been converted into a restaurant which offers a wide spread of Western and Sri Lankan cuisine in the form of a daily lunch buffet at a very nominal fee, De Silva said. The Sunday lunch buffet too has become very popular specially among Sri Lankans. The hotel has now become a popular transit place for passengers travelling on the Colombo-Hatton-Nuwara Eliya and Ratnapura highway. The store of the tile factory, is now a modern banquet hall which could accommodate around 500 guests. The banquet hall has been tastefully designed with modern furniture and caters to large scale weddings and other functions.In the compound of the tile factory, is a garden restaurant where BBQ buffets are hosted under candlelight. The beautiful Kelani River in close proximity to the hotel, has made the Sala Factory Hotel, not only popular among foreign tourists, but Sri Lankans as well who prefer river bathing to sea bathing. The Sala Factory Hotel offers six cosy rooms with modern facilities. The designing of this hotel was done by Piyasinghe Wijewickrema. The two-acre land on which the hotel stands, has been beautifully landscaped. The Sala Factory Hotel, a Tourist Board approved 'A' Grade Rest House, is managed by L & R Leisure Resorts. Veteran hotelier, Rohan de Silva who took over the hotel as Director Operations, holds an Executive Diploma in Hotel Administration, and is a member of AHCIMA (Associate Member of Hotel Catering Institutional Management Association of London (UK). De Silva is also a member of the Ceylon Hotels School Graduates Association, and has over 20 years experience in the hospitality industry with four years overseas experience. by Beverley Jansz ************** ABACUS felicitates travel agents Abacus International, a Singapore based company, is the largest Global Distribution System (GDS) and Computerized Reservation System (CRS) in Asia Pacific. Abacus International Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. is a joint venture between Softlogic Holdings (Pvt) Ltd. and TAASL (Travel Agents Association of Sri Lanka).Abacus provides comprehensive CRS services, which include global travel-related information and efficient reservation functions as well as agency front and back-office systems. The ABACUS System allows travel agents to book and gain access to information on hundreds of airlines, hotels and car rental companies world-wide. Abacus hosted a gala dinner to felicitate their clients (travel agents) at the Ceylon Continental Hotel last week. Over 70 leading travel agents attended the function. At the ceremony, from left are Lasantha Withanage, Manager, Technical, Abacus, Udaya Nanayakkara, Director Abacus Lanka and President, Sri Lanka Association of Travel and Tourism, Ashok Pathirage, Managing Director, Abacus International Lanka (Pvt) Ltd., James Khoo, Regional Account Manager, Agency Sales, Abacus, Roshini Wirasinghe, Corporate Communications Executive, Softlogic Holdings (Pvt) Ltd. and Rashmi de Alwis, Assistant Product and Development Manager, Abacus. Pic. BJ. |
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