Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo to open in 2015

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts broke ground for its new hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka last Friday. Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo will be located between the Galle Face Green promenade and Beira Lake, with uninterrupted views of the Indian Ocean. The Hong Kong-based group announced the purchase of 10 acres of government land in January 2011 and is targeting to open the property in mid-2015.

The hotel will be easily accessible from Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake, in 45 minutes by car. Shangri-La is also developing a second property, a 315 room city resort on approximately 145 acres of land in Hambantota, on the southern coast of Sri Lanka.

Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo will be built according to sustainability guidelines, with 661 rooms offering some of the largest accommodation in town at 45 square metres to 55 square metres (484 square feet to 592 square feet). This also includes 43 suites ranging in size from 90 square metres to 225 square metres (968 square feet to 2,421 square feet).

A wide range of restaurant concepts features a sushi bar, steakhouse, seafood market, Indian restaurant, Islamic restaurant as well as a sky lounge on the top floor. The all-day-dining venue will offer various food concepts throughout the day including Straits Spice Market, a Szechuan and a Macanese restaurant. A take-out deli, Irish pub, tea lounge and wine/cigar room will round out the culinary offer.

Meeting facilities will be among the largest in Colombo, with over 4,780 square metres (50,598 square feet) of function space spread over three floors to host meetings, receptions and private functions.

A health club, spa with eight treatment rooms, an outdoor junior Olympic-size lap pool at 25 by 12 metres and two outdoor tennis courts will complete the recreational facilities.

Together with Shangri-La’s Hambantota Resort and Spa, Sri Lanka, the hotel fits strategically into the group’s ongoing expansion plans to link the Indian subcontinent and the South East Asia developments.

The Sri Lankan properties will be fully integrated into the local community from the very beginning, offering employment opportunities and infrastructure support. In addition, both properties will adopt Embrace, Shangri-La’s Care for People Project, to work with local children’s organizations on health or education programmes over a long-term period in areas of need such as school materials, infrastructure improvement, hygiene and nutrition. The hotel is in the process of identifying eligible schools within Colombo.

Shangri-La recognises the unique opportunity presented to hone a new generation of tourism talent in Sri Lanka. Both properties are committed to employing the majority of the workforce locally and they will commence a "Hospitality Traineeship Programme."Young adults participating in the 15 to 18-month programme will start with basic skill courses in front office, food and beverage service, kitchen, landscaping and gardens, Successful candidates will then be placed in selected Shangri-La hotels globally until the properties in Sri Lanka are ready for pre-opening work.

Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, one of the world’s premier hotel companies, currently owns and/or manages 72 hotels under the Shangri-La, Kerry and Traders brands, with a room inventory of over 30,000. Over four decades the group has established its brand hallmark of ‘hospitality from the heart.’ The group has a substantial development pipeline with upcoming projects in Canada, mainland China, India, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Turkey and United Kingdom, for more information and reservations, please contact a travel professional or access the website at www.shangri-la.com

~ www.island.lk ~