The Sri Lanka Freedom Party is one of the major and most well known political parties in Sri Lanka. It was founded by S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike in 1951 and, since then, has been one of the two largest parties in the Sri Lankan political arena. It first came to power in 1956 and since then has been the predominant party in government on a number of occasions. The party is generally considered as having a democratic socialist or progressive economic agenda and is often associated with nationalist Sinhalese parties. The party follows a Non-Aligned foreign policy but always had close ties to socialist nations.
Minnette de Silva was an internationally recognised architect, considered the pioneer of the modern architectural style in Sri Lanka. De Silva was a fellow of the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects (SLIA),
The Galle Face Hotel, founded in 1864, is one of the oldest hotels east of Suez. It is located on Galle Road, Colombo. The Ceylon Hotels Corporation is now part of the Galle Face Hotel Group. The hotel is a member of Select Hotels and Resorts International. The current chairman of the hotel is Sanjeev Gardiner, since the demise of his father Cyril Gardiner in 1997. It is listed as one of the "1000 Places to See Before You Die" in the book of the same name. It received the "Best Heritage Hotel" title three years running at the Presidential Awards for Travel and Tourism, held in June 2010, June 2011 and September 2012. In addition it won the first-ever PATA award for Best International Heritage Hotel, in 2012. In September 2012, it became the first hotel in Sri Lanka to be featured on a postage stamp, along with three other iconic buildings in Colombo.
The Grand Hotel is a four-star boutique hotel in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka, that was built in the style of an Elizabethan-era manor house. The hotel has 154 rooms, including three presidential suites, four junior suites, including a governor's suite that have been maintained to preserve the traditional design. The Grand Hotel has a number of restaurants, bars and a billiards room.
George Edmund de Silva was a Ceylonese lawyer and politician. He was the first Cabinet Minister of Industries, Industrial Research and Fisheries in independent Sri Lanka (1947–1948), a Member of Parliament and State Council.
Events in the year 2018 in Sri Lanka.
Shivani Vasagam Wedanayake is a Sri Lankan model, entrepreneur and beauty pageant titleholder. Wedanayake is the daughter of the cinematographer A. V. m Vasagam, and forayed into the fashion and beauty industry encouraged by her father to follow the tradition in the entertainment and field of arts. She is also a published poet with the National Library of North American poets.
Nushelle de Silva is an Australian born Sri Lankan social entrepreneur and art educator. She is the founder of Building Bridges foundation in Sri Lanka.
The Mrs. Sri Lanka 2021 controversy refers to an incident that happened on the night of 4 April 2021, during the grand finale of the Mrs. Sri Lanka pageant in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The competition ended in bizarre fashion when Pushpika De Silva, who was initially crowned as Mrs. Sri Lanka 2021 unceremoniously had her crown forcibly removed from her head on stage by the previous title holder, Caroline Jurie, who stated that De Silva should be disqualified for being a divorcee, something De Silva denied. The incident sparked social media reaction and wide media attention. De Silva was reinstated as the legitimate winner of the Mrs. Sri Lanka 2021 competition and therefore was eligible to compete at the Miss World 2021 beauty contest.
Tintagel Colombo is a boutique hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka and the former town residence of the Bandaranaike family. The hotel is situated in Rosmead Place in Cinnamon Gardens.
Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo, trading as Trans Asia Hotels PLC, is a five-star luxury hotel located in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The hotel is listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange and John Keells Holdings owns a stake of 92% of the company's shares, 48% directly and 43% through its subsidiary Asian Hotels and Properties PLC. Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo has 346 rooms including 20 suites.
Taj Samudra, trading as TAL Lanka Hotels PLC, is a five-star luxury hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The hotel is a listed company on the Colombo Stock Exchange since 1982 and the majority of the shares are held by Taj Hotels. The hotel is located right opposite Galle Face Green facing the Indian Ocean. The hotel is one of the oldest five-star hotels in the city of Colombo. Brand Finance ranked Taj Samudra 78th amongst the 100 most valuable brands in Sri Lanka for 2021.
Mövenpick Hotel Colombo is a five-star luxury hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The hotel is part of the hotel chain brand Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts and is owned by the Sri Lankan conglomerate, Softlogic Holdings. It is the first hotel to be launched in Colombo in 25 years. The hotel is 24-storey high and includes 219 rooms.
Cinnamon Citadel Kandy, formerly known as The Citadel Kandy, is a four-star hotel located in Kandy, Sri Lanka. The hotel is located on the bank of the Mahaweli River. The hotel's main deck is decorated with Dumbara weaving designs and an 18-foot handwoven wall hanging by Ena de Silva.
Hilton Colombo Residences is a five-star luxury hotel located in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The hotel was formerly known as JAIC Hilton. The name derived from its initial owner Japan Asia Investment Company, who sold the hotel to Sri Lankan conglomerate, Hirdaramani Group in 2003. It is one of the tallest buildings in Sri Lanka. It is the second Hilton brand hotel in Sri Lanka, while the first was Hilton Colombo.
Galadari Hotel, traded as Galadari Hotels (Lanka) PLC, is a five-star luxury hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Emirati conglomerate, Galadari Brothers are the controlling shareholders of the hotel company. The hotel commenced operations in 1984. The hotel was previously managed by Meridien Hotels and Marriott before the Galadari Brothers themselves took over the management in 1994. The hotel suffered from a couple of terrorist attacks in the 1990s most notably in 1997. In 2022, the hotel won the Hotel Brand of the Year award at the SLIM-Kantar Peoples Awards.
Mahaweli Reach Hotel, traded as Mahaweli Reach Hotels PLC, is a five-star luxury hotel in Kandy, Sri Lanka. The hotel is located on the banks of the Mahaweli River, hence the name. The hotel was founded in 1973 and in 1982, it was listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange. Mahaweli Reach became the first five-star hotel in Kandy in 2000. Universal Enterprises, a Maldivian resort operator has been the controlling shareholder of the hotel since 2002. Mahaweli Reach, a hotel with colonial architecture, was designed by Ashley de Vos.
Ceylon Hotels Corporation PLC, often called Ceylon Hotels, is a hospitality company in Sri Lanka. The company was incorporated through an Act of the Parliament of Ceylon in 1966. The company was listed as a public company in the following year. Ceylon Hotel Holdings, a subsidiary of Galle Face Hotels Group is the holding company of Ceylon Hotels Corporation. Ceylon Hotels' subsidiary, Kandy Hotels Company owns and operates the Queen's Hotel and the Hotel Suisse heritage hotels.
Cinnamon Bentota Beach, formerly known as Bentota Beach Hotel, is a luxury five-star hotel in Bentota, Sri Lanka. The hotel was built in 1967 and designed by Geoffrey Bawa. After refurbishment, the hotel reopened in 2019. The hotel is owned and operated by a subsidiary of John Keells Holdings under its luxury hotel chain, Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts. Cinnamon Bentota Beach is known for its architecture and decor.
