Hong Kong, China — Marriott International has signed an agreement with Weligama Hotel Properties, a fully owned subsidiary of East West Properties, to open a hotel in Sri Lanka, the Weligama Bay Marriott Resort & Spa 2014 – this will be Marriott’s first property on the Indian Ocean Island.

The 200-room, 11-storey Weligama Bay Marriott Resort & Spa, will be operated under Marriott’s flagship Marriott Hotels & Resorts brand.

“Marriott is delighted to be extending its portfolio and opening a world-class hotel in Sri Lanka,” commented Simon Cooper, president and managing director Marriott, Asia Pacific. “Sri Lanka is a destination that has great potential and opportunity and we hope to capitalise on that and establish a strong presence in the country.

We are confident that the reputation of Marriott Hotels and Resorts and the power of Marriott Rewards, our loyalty programme, will create great interest from both local and international travellers and be successful in promoting the beautiful area of Weligama Bay, as well as the country itself as this is our first hotel here.”

Commenting on the project Mr. Nahil Wijesuriya, Chairman, East West Properties PLC said: “We are among the first companies in Sri Lanka to sign up with an international branded hotel company and to open as early as 2014. The resort is being built according to Marriott International’s five star brand standards, with a beach frontage of 115 meters on the Galle-Matara road in the South-East of the country. The construction is being carried out in-house by East West Engineering Services (Pvt) Ltd. so we have direct control of every aspect of the construction of the resort and are confident that it will be of the highest standards and quality.”

Marriott International is a world renowned operator and franchiser of a broad portfolio of hotels and resorts which include Bulgari Hotels and Resorts and The Ritz Carlton. Marriott International currently operates over 3,700 hotels in over 73 countries and territories around the globe. Marriott Hotels and Resorts are Marriott International’s signature and most widely distributed brand and is also known for the world’s largest loyalty program, Marriott Rewards.

Weligama, located 144km from Colombo is a popular tourist destination renowned for its sandy beaches. Famous for its stilt-fishermen perched on a cross bar of a single pole planted into the sea bed, this attraction has been captured in every corner of the world depicting Sri Lanka as a preferred destination of choice for travellers from all over the world.

The Hotel will be located in Weligama, a part of Matara which is one of the largest cities on the south coast of Sri Lanka, where tourism and fishing are the two main businesses. Tourism is the mainstay of the south-western coast of Sri Lanka. The services sector is expected to be the primary engine of growth in coming years which is expected to be led by tourism.

2011 was declared as the “Visit Sri Lanka” year by the government. The country witnessed record levels of tourist arrivals in the early months of the year; a trend that is expected to continue for the remainder of the year.

“We see great opportunity in Sri Lanka with ever-increasing visitor numbers to the country,” continued Cooper. “While India, UK and Germany are the largest source markets for hotels in Sri Lanka; the Middle East and Russia are the emerging source markets and with the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (“SLTDA”) aiming to achieve a target of 2.5 million tourist arrivals by 2016 we are confident of attracting great leisure and business guests to the property.”

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A survey comparing the rates of hotel rooms in Indianapolis over the ‘Big Game’ weekend has just been completed by CheapHotels.org, and the news is disheartening for diehard football fans and non-sports-fanatic Indy visitors alike this upcoming February. Hotels in and around Indianapolis are jacking up their rates as much as 2000% over their regular prices.

What is enabling them to get away with this ploy? Blame it on a scarcity of rooms. Indeed, most hotel rooms in Indianapolis for the ‘Big Game’ weekend were already booked solid a full year in advance of the big game. This inability to snag a place to stay is attributable to hotels blocking off 18,300 hotel rooms in 141 hotels in and around Indianapolis for the National Football League.

A few hotel rooms are still available in the near vicinity, but that convenience will come at a hefty price. Case in point is the Quality Inn & Suites. This 2-star hotel situated about 9 miles from downtown Indianapolis normally goes for $60 a night. Come early February, however, the no-frills establishment is charging $1000 per night, a 1500%-rate hike.

Those who are thinking they’ll slum it and go budget for the weekend might want to think again. At the Knights Inn Indianapolis Airport, where a room is normally priced at $39, they can expect to pay a whopping $800, nearly 2000% more than they usually would.

Alternatively, they can give up the convenience of the city altogether. The cheapest rate still available in the wider vicinity is the Quality Inn in Noblesville. Located about 20 miles from downtown Indianapolis, rooms there are listed at $300 (versus the usual $100).

To score a room for under $150 per night, Indy visitors will have to settle for driving more than an hour outside the city. Although the rates are still being doubled there over the ‘Big Game’ weekend, in Bloomington and Lafayette, such prices are available. And if one wants to avoid super-jacked-up prices altogether? Think a 90-mile radius out from city center. Terre Haute and Richmond, both on that outer circumference, are the closest locales offering rooms at regular prices.

Image Courtesy of   https://www.facebook.com/colts

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