Alhambra Hotels commemorated five decades of unwavering dedication to hospitality excellence with a full-on gala on April 30th with Chief Guest President Ranil Wickramasinghe and First Lady Prof. Maithree Wickramasinghe, together with Minister of Tourism and Lands and Sports Harin Fernando, Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayake, US Ambassador Julie Chung and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Director Franchise Operations Eurasia Aminesh Kumar.
Speaking at the event, Chairman Fahmy Cader paid homage to the visionary behind this brand, his father and founding Chairman late Jabir A. Cader, a prominent businessman, who evolved the hotel into a cornerstone of Colombo’s hospitality landscape.
The chairman thanked the shareholders who have come on this journey with them together with the staff, the patron guests, Board Members Director Operations M. Shanthikumar, Managing Director Imthiaz Cader and Mrs. Ayesha Hasheem along with a special mention to his son and current General Manager, Wasim Cader who has been a live wire to make the evening a successful one.
President Ranil Wickramasinghe addressing the gathering, stated this was his favourite and most frequented place from the time it was known as Holiday Inn Colombo and also spoke fondly of the late Chairman Jabir A Cader and extended his continuous support to the success and growth of Alhambra Hotels.
Originally envisioned as a modern cinema, the venture transformed with the changing tides, capitalizing on the burgeoning tourism industry generated by the ‘Tourism Development Act’ and in 1974, a pivotal partnership with the Holiday Inn group propelled Alhambra Hotels into the international spotlight, becoming only the second International Hotel Chain in Sri Lanka to do so at that time and later on in 2009, Alhambra Hotels bid adieu to Holiday Inn and entered its new phase as Ramada Colombo under Wyndham Hotels and Resorts.
