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| Sunday, 19 December 2004 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Privileges at 'The Privilege' by Chanuka Mannapperuma If one wants absolute relaxation together with privacy and discreet first- class service in the true sense of the word, then the best place to be is at "The Privilege". Investing Rs.200 million, this exclusive hotel has been built according to the unique architectural vision of Geoffrey Bawa and it has been completed by his student Vinod Jayasinghe. An ideal hideout for those seeking serene and absolute peace and privacy it lies about 35 Km from Colombo along the Southern coastal belt of Sri Lanka. "The Privilege", a boutique- type hotel is built on two acre land in Wadduwa with direct access to the beach. "We mainly cater to the upmarket and high- spending clients and we have a good demand. Most of our clients are from Europe", owner and hotelier Susil De Alwis said. Explaining the luxury facilities offered at 'The Privilege', he said "We have not used plastics for any purpose. We have only used teak wood for our furniture and all our items are antique ones which have been used for the last hundred years," he said. In the lobby area is a state- of- the art business centre with all modern facilities with ample place to read and rest. This unique property,which has 25 suites has a panoramic view of the beach. Each suite consists of TV, DVD player,three telephones,a mini bar, separate living area among other luxuries. De Alwis said "We are providing high- quality foods for our clients." They can choose from ala carte menus,with a seven course sit -down dinner made by gourmet chefs specialized in fine dinning.Guests could also select their choice of wines from the vintage cellar. A fresh water swimming pool, kiddies pool, gymnasium, mini golf, library, cyber cafe, jewellery shop, ayurvedic centre with trained staff and fully- qualified Ayrvedic doctor are other features. Another attractive place is the 'beach restaurant' for cocktails, beverage and light snacks. For sports or relaxation a billiard table is also there for those who like the game. De Alwis also added that the success of this boutique- hotel is the fact that it has delivered what it promised to its clients and dedicated as well as honest staff that has been there with him from the inception, to date. He said that they have only 25 staffers. "During the season we charge US$ 250 for normal suites while the exclusive suites are US$ 300. For Sri Lankans we give a discount,"he added. According to Marketing Manager Ranjaka de Mel reservations can be made at the Colombo Privilege office. Speaking of future plans de Alwis said "my goal is to make this hotel the best in the world". Air Arabia to fly to 21 destinations Air Arabia, one of the UAE's national airlines and the first low cost airline in the Middle East and the African region plans to fly to 21 destinations including India, Pakistan and Bangladesh by end 2005. At present it flies to 15 destinations including Sri Lanka. Chief Executive Officer of Air Arabia Adel Abdulla Ali who was here on a short visit to sign a MOU for future developments with its General Sales Agent Nawaloka Aviation attending a press briefing said that Sri Lanka is an important market for Air Arabia and we are committed to serving them with a top quality service. To show our commitment we will be even having a Country Manager stationed in Sri Lanka, he said. Due to the high demand we doubled the flight frequency from four to seven per week. This has helped trade relations and business travel and increased tourism as well as transportation of labour. " These segments have good potential in the long term. Abdulla Ali said that they practiced the new model known as low-cost. "This is our secret of success and it has given people an opportunity to travel more frequently, It is the future of aviation as well," he added. " We don't have anything on board an aircraft that a traveller doesn't need. This is a key to keeping the fares low." Within the region we offer the most competitive air fares and we have been able to keep it low since we use only one type of aircraft the A320s which are brand new. All the planes have a cafe but no catering is done which is an added cost while our flying time ranges between one and four- and- a-half- hours. 'Our motto is safe, secure, comfortable travel at affordable prices,' Ali said. Air Arabia is a Sharjah Government-owned airline currently flying from Sharjah Alexandria, Bahrain, Beirut, Colombo, Doha, Muscat, Damuscus, Kuwait,Dammam, Khartoum, Aleppo, Assiut,Jeddah, Riyadh and Sana'a. Emirates packages for Dubai shopping festival The Colombo office of Emirates has begun sales of travel plus accommodation packages for the milestone 10th Dubai Shopping Festival, which takes place from January 12 to February 12, 2005. A range of competitively priced packages from Emirates Holidays, the leisure management division of the award-winning Dubai-based international airline, enables Sri Lankans to participate in one of the world's most spectacular shopping extravaganzas for as little as Rs. 49,000 upwards per person on a twin-sharing basis. These packages include Economy Class return air tickets, three nights accommodation in three to five star hotels on bed and breakfast, basis, meet and assist services on arrival, return airport transfers, room tax and service charges. They also provide an additional baggage allowance of 10 kilograms on the passengers return or onward journey. |
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