Softlogic Holdings PLC together with Centara Hotels & Resorts of Thailand announced the grand opening of Centara Ceysands Resort & Spa Sri Lanka. The official opening ceremony was presided over by President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday.
The resort is located on the Bentota Peninsula, situated between the Bentota River and the Indian Ocean. The resort’s arrival lounge is situated at Aluthgama, on the inland side of the river, with guests travelling across the water by barge, a journey that takes two minutes. “The opening of this beautiful new resort, set in one of Sri Lanka’s most outstanding tourism destinations, is a proud moment for us,” said Thirayuth Chirathivat, Chief Executive Officer of Centara Hotels & Resorts. “We view Sri Lanka as being of great potential for us, and the island is part of our strategy for developing our market in the Indian Ocean region.”
Speaking at the opening of the resort Softlogic Holdings PLC Chairman and Managing Director Ashok Pathirage said: “We are very excited about the opening of Centara Ceysands Resort & Spa as the resort is located in one of the best and most popular locations in Sri Lanka and also as this marks our first entrance into the hotel industry. We are very confident about the success of this venture as we have partnered with Centara Hotels and Resorts and are positive that they will exceed our expectations. Overall we are very hopeful about the prospects of this industry and we hope to open our second property the Movenpick City Hotel in the 4th quarter of 2015.” The resort has 165 rooms and suites, including family residences, with all accommodation facilities featuring views across the river, or across the beach and the ocean.
Restaurant facilities will include Café Bem, serving Sri Lankan and international cuisines along with buffets; 360 Seafood, which specialises in locally sourced seafood; and Ceylon Club, which will have a gourmet selection of Ceylon teas. Spa Cenvaree will offer traditional Sri Lankan and Indian treatments along with its range of signature Thai therapies, and will also feature a fitness centre, an oceanfront swimming pool with Jacuzzi and a children’s pool, in addition to a water sports centre and a Kids’ Club with separate zones for youngsters and teens.
The resort’s versatile events space can accommodate a wide-ranging number of functions including meetings, incentives groups, weddings and outdoor receptions, all supported by state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment and other facilities available at the business centre.
Centara Hotels & Resorts Sri Lanka Area General Manager Alexandre Glauser stated that the hotel is ready with a full complement of staff to welcome its first guests. “Centara Ceysands Resort & Spa is an outstanding property that will have both a romantic appeal for couples and lots of leisure attractions for families. For guests, the scene is set with the charming ride across the river on board our ferry and no matter which room or suite they are staying, the view for guests will be stunning.”
Centara Hotels & Resorts is Thailand’s leading operator of hotels, with 46 deluxe and first-class properties covering all major tourist destinations in the Kingdom. A further 21 resorts in Maldives, Vietnam, Shanghai, Bali, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Ethiopia, Qatar, Laos and Oman brings the present total to 67 properties. Brands and properties within Centara ensure that specific categories such as couples, families, individuals, and meetings and incentives groups will all find a hotel or resort that is appropriate to their needs. Centara also operates 29 branches of Spa Cenvaree, one of Thailand’s most luxurious and innovative spa brands, together with seven branches of the value brand Cense by Spa Cenvaree, which provides core spa services for busy travellers.
Softlogic Holdings PLC, rated as one of Sri Lanka’s most dynamic and aggressive conglomerates, commenced operations in 1991 as a software developer with just 12 employees and has now expanded its footprint, holding leading positions in domestic growth oriented sectors such as ICT, Healthcare, Retail, Financial Services, Automobiles and Leisure. The Group now provides employment to over 6,500 individuals generating a turnover of more than $ 200 m. The Group’s representations and strategic alliances with reputed global institutions and large multinational corporations confirm its unparalleled local stature.
Source: http://www.ft.lk/2014/05/30/softlogic-and-centara-open-centara-ceysands-resort-and-spa/
Sri Lanka Travel Feneteko