TV Times

TV Times

Sunflower Hotel: Good times ahead
By Sanath Weerasuriya
If someone asks, what is the oldest tourist destination in Sri Lanka, Negombo would be my answer. It is one of the outstanding cities in Sri Lanka as far as the tourism concerned. Portuguese, Dutch and English fought each other for this beautiful city centuries ago.

Most of the present day hotels in the city of Negombo are well over two decades old, but in tact with all modern facilities. Sunflower Beach Hotel is in the forefront of the hospitality trade of the city for the past thirty two years.

This three story 66 room beach hotel is one of the very few properties that had escaped the deadly tsunami last December. But escaped unharm.
Sunflower Beach Hotel is now under Rs. 12 million refurbishing programme, which will change the entire interior and rooms before the coming winter season.

'We haven't been affected from the tsunami and we are in full operational level. But still we feel the impact. The few overseas arrivals and the off season put not only our hotel, but almost all the properties on back gear.' said its Manager Dinesh Fernando.

'But we have allocated this time for renovations and staff training' he added.
Out of 66, 44 room are fitted with A/C. 'Adding A/C, TV and a mini bar to the rest of the rooms and changing furniture and fittings are two major changers in the room division.' said Anton Gomez, the F&B Manager of the hotel.
Upgrading the conference hall to accommodate 500 pax is another part of this renovation project.

'At the moment we can accommodate about 250 pax including the poolside. But considering the growing demand for weddings and other functions, the hotel will go for a modern function hall. That's what we are aiming at' explained Anton Gomez. 'Most of the up-grading and refurbishment will be finished by end October and we will be ready for the season' Anton added.
The most popular attraction at Sunflower Beach Hotel is its cuisine.

According to the Executive Chef Nihal Kariyakarawana, who has more than 30 years of experience in the trade, the hotel menu consist of popular Sri Lankan dishes and continental, and Western food. 'Hotel is more popular for its traditional Sri Lankan cuisine. Apart from the standard F&B service, BBQ and theme nights are much popular with the groups. Our Sous Chef Tuan Bazeer is the force behind this success ' Kariyakarawana said.

The hotel has attracted much of Sri Lankan weddings during the months of May/June. Eric Suriyasena is the Chairman of the Sunflower Beach Hotel and Director CEO is Nilan Suriyasena. The MD is Christy Irugalbandara.

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