The Leela Kempinski, Kovalam Beach Kerala bags the First Choice Gold Award 2006

Mumbai, 21st January, 2008: “Customer recognition is the highest award and the fact that The Leela Kovalam in its 2nd year of operation (2006-07) itself has been able to elevate the standard of excellence and get due recognition by the largest generator of business is highly commendable and makes me very proud.” Capt. C. P. Krishnan Nair, Chairman, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts.

The First Choice Gold Award is a prestigious recognition from one of the largest on-line travel agents. Founded in 1987, ‘First Choice’ is a UK based diversified Travel and Leisure Company which has operations in 16 countries. It has merged with Thomson to form TUI Travel, to become one of the leading tour operators in UK.

The First Choice Gold Awards, which are given annually are different from other tourism Awards as in the, winners are nominated by guests. The central tenet of the Award is that all types of tourism – from niche to mainstream – can and should be operated in a way that respects and benefits destinations and guests alike. The award is given for consistent service and scores of over 90 % guest satisfaction. Nominees under consideration are sent a detailed questionnaire and required to provide references. Independent of the references, opinions are solicited from a range of informed individuals relevant to each country. A list of those under consideration is then put forward to a panel of expert judges who review the detailed responsible tourism questionnaires, and take up references.

“A big thank you to all those who nominated us, your acknowledgement recharges us to deliver beyond the expected and raise the bar for ourselves with a promise to an even better experience on your next visit. “ Biswajit Chakraborty, General Manager, The Leela Kempinski, Kovalam Beach Kerala.

The Leela Kempinski Kovalam Beach is the largest beach resort in Kerala with 182 guest rooms and suites. It is spread across numerous acres of the sprawling 1.5 Km beachfront. The Resort sits perched on a cliff top, cradled between two wide sweeping beaches. It offers a stunning view of the famed Kovalam coastline and the thick coconut groves beyond. It has undergone a complete renovation programme in the last two years costing approximately US$11.60m An additional investment of approximately Rs.200 million(US$ 4.65m) was made for “The Club at The Leela, Kovalam,” designed by the renowned American architect. Carl Ettensperger, has 56 Club rooms and suites, along with two Presidential suites and an array of superlative restaurants and lounges, Library and Spa.

The Leela has carved a special niche position amongst the luxury hotels of the world. Its portfolio of award-winning hotels in India is in Mumbai, Bangalore, Goa and Kovalam in Kerala.

Within the next three years, The Leela brand will have a commanding presence in India's most dynamic markets; Gurgaon Delhi NCR (2008), Udaipur (2008), Chennai (2009), New Delhi (2010), Hyderabad (2010) and Pune (2010).

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Issued by
Mithu Basu
Group Head Corporate Communications
The Leela Palaces~Hotels~Resorts
Sahar, Mumbai 400 059
Tel: +91 (22) 66911052
Fax: +91 (22) 66911455
Cell: +91 9820414732
Email: mithu.basu@theleela.com