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Wednesday, 19 March 2014 00:56 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Its latest project was the renovation of The Gateway Hotel Airport Garden in Katunayake at a cost of $ 10 million (Rs. 1.3 billion), which was officially opened by Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa on Monday.
The hotel, open for guests from October last year, has increased the room inventory of the hotel from 100 rooms to 200 with an addition of a new wing consisting of 98 executive rooms and two suites. To create a seamless connection between the old and new wings, the old wing has also received a facelift of Rs. 260 million.
Speaking to the media at the official launch, Taj Group of Hotels Area Director Rohit Khosla noted that the Taj Group of Hotels operate three of their brands in Sri Lanka – Taj Luxury, Vivanta by Taj and Gateway Hotels.
“At the luxury end, Taj Samudra Hotel in Colombo was recently renovated at a cost of $ 20 million,” Khosla said.
Vivanta by Taj Bentota was renovated recently as well at a cost of $ 12.5 million. Overall it is an investment to the tourism infrastructure of $ 42.5 million, he added.
“We have made this investment because we are very upbeat about the potential of tourism. Taj Hotels are the only international chain that stuck it out through the war and we had the belief that Sri Lanka is a great tourism destination and things will turn around. Tourism arrivals have been on the steady rise and I thank the Government and officials of Sri Lanka Tourism who are now on a major drive to promote Sri Lanka.”
Taj Hotels partnered with Sri Lanka Tourism for the ‘Get Sri Lankaned’ promotional campaign launched in India in the cities of Bangalore and Mumbai and will do so in the next phase happening this year as well.
Khosla noted that the group is looking to expand – not in terms of investment but by management contract.
A couple of options are on the table and the focus is on east coast, the Cultural Triangle and the northern peninsula. “Discussions are ongoing and we are hopeful that something will come up soon,” he said.
As the Taj brand looks at both leisure and business, depending on the property and what the owners have, they will decide which brand should be present. “We are in talks with a couple of parties, especially in the east, and have made a few visits there. We are hopeful that the outcome will be a positive one,” he said.
