Lotus Tower in Sri Lanka

Standing a massive 350 metres tall on the banks of the beautified Beira Lake, the Lotus tower would definitely make this paradise isle more stunning. This, the world’s nineteenth tallest building started its construction work last week. This multi-functional tele communication tower and Entertainment Centre is the brainchild of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

This tower started its construction on an auspicious moment on Friday (January 20) by Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa and is built under the auspices of the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (TRC) of Sri Lanka on a 3.06 hactares of land at the Beira Lake waterfront and alongside the D.R. Wijewardene Mawatha. “This will be an important landmark building being the tallest in South Asia when completed,” said Director General of TRC Anusha Palpita explaining about this striking city symbol under construction. This will be a free standing tower with a four storey high podium; a concrete tower shaft of moderate diameter, eight storeyed tower head and a steel framed antennae mast surmounted at the top.

Indigenous design

The lotus is a local design which is a key symbol deep rooted in the Sri Lankan culture. The concept and preliminary design is by local architects. The Faculty of Architecture of the University of Moratuwa provides the indigenous technical and architectural expertise. A team of consultants led by Emeritus Professor Nimal de Silva, Professor Samita Manawadu and Professor Chitra Weddikkara of the Faculty of Architecture, University of Moratuwa provides professional advice on this mega project.

The construction of the multi-functional Telecommunication Tower and an Entertainment Centre will cost approximately 104 million US dollars. The mega project is funded through the EXIM Bank of the People’s Republic of China.The Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga, Director General of the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka Anusha Palpita, Secretary to the Ministry of External Affairs Karunaratne Amunugama and several high ranking officials from relevant local institutes attended the signing ceremony.

A Chinese conglomerate comprising China National Electronics Import and Export Corporation (CEIEC) and Aerospace Long-March International Trade Co. Ltd will be completing the project on a turnkey basis.

Hyatt Regency Hotel in Colombo

Hyatt Hotel chain has entered into a management agreement to open its first property in Sri Lanka, the Hyatt Regency.

Following a deal with Sinolanka Hotels & Spa, the company will develop a Hyatt Regency hotel in Colombo, comprising 475 hotel rooms and 84 serviced residences. The property is expected to open in 2014.

The Hyatt Regency Colombo, a 42-floor hotel on Galle Road, one of the arterial roads in the central business district area, will also have a lobby lounge, an all-day dining, multi-cuisine restaurant, three specialty restaurants, a bar, eight spa treatment rooms, a fitness center, a swimming pool, and a Regency Club lounge. Additionally, the hotel will offer more than 17,000 sq. ft. (1,579 sq. m.) of enclosed meeting space, including a 7,500 sq. ft. (696 sq. m.) ballroom.

According to Ratnesh Verma, Hyatt’s Senior Vice President of Real Estate & Development for the Asia Pacific, “Sri Lanka continues to be a growing market and we are excited to work with Sinolanka on this iconic project in Colombo.” “Establishing our brand’s presence in key gateway cities like Colombo is an integral part of our strategy to drive preference for the Hyatt brand in the South Asian region. We believe the hotel’s excellent location and full range of services and dining options will meet the needs of both business and leisure travellers.

It is our privilege to work with Sinolanka and be part of the government’s initiatives to develop tourism infrastructure in Sri Lanka,” noted Verma. Gamini Senarath, Chairman of Sinolanka Hotels & Spa, expressing his views said that they were pleased to work with Hyatt on the first Hyatt-branded hotel in Sri Lank. “Hyatt Regency Colombo is expected to be a flagship development for Sri Lanka, demonstrating the rapidly expanding opportunities in this country’s tourism sector.” Sri Lanka has seen a tourism boom with the end of a 30-year civil war in 2009. This year, around a million tourists are expected to visit the island.

Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo

Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Asia’s super luxury hotel project in Colombo is at a standstill owing to some unexpected obstacles.
Construction work on the 497-room Shangri-La Hotel Colombo located between the Galle Face green promenade and Beira Lake, has been suspended as the government is demanding the company to make the US$ 200 million investment promised by them, informed souces said.

The Shangri-La Asia company had brought in only $2 million instead of $200 million promised by them during the period of construction and this has led to a dispute with state authorities, these sources revealed.

The hotel company has paid $75 million initially to buy six acres of land and $50 million thereafter, for another four acres totalling $125 for 10 acres, opposite Galle Face in Colombo.

Treasury Secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundera has repeatedly announced with responsibility in public at media conferences held on 28th December 2010 and 25th March 2011 as well as in several other occasions that Shangri -La’s Investment is in the region of $500 million and their investment in land alone is $125 million up-front cash payment.

But the company has so far not fulfilled its promise to implement the project in Colombo that will include a luxury hotel, high quality residencies and an up market shopping mall at a total investment of over $250 million.

“Shangri-La’s broken promise has prompted the state authorities to block some facilities and concessions offered to the company and the suspension of the construction work was due to these unexpected obstacles,” one source said.

However other sources said the construction work has been suspended because a main sewage line of Colombo had been detected underneath the super luxury hotel project site.

The company wants government agencies to remove the sewage line at state expenses and this has led to some dispute and that the work will recommence after settling the issue, a senior government official said.

However according to the masterplan of UDA, the sewage line is adjacent to the project site and there was no need to remove it.
Meanwhile Shangri-La Asia has scaled down the construction work of their other 300-room city resort in Hambantota due to the same financial dispute, senior government official disclosed.

The Hambantota project is to be completed in a haphazard manner hurriedly due to pressure exerted by a top politician to expedite the work even by reducing the number of rooms.

The company has bought the land at a cost of $3.5 million which is out of a total investment of $109 million.