Financial Times

Mind your Business
Five star pleasure
Walk into the lobby of one of Colombo's famous five star hotels and don't be surprised if you bump into a beautiful Chinese woman constantly chatting on a mobile phone.

In-house guests and other visitors at the hotel (where a top LTTEer residing there was once accused of spying on the President's House) are appalled by the goings-on in the lobby between these women and their "clients" in open view of hotel security officers and managers.

"It's not difficult to guess what they are up to. It's not only an annoyance and embarrassment to visitors but also a bad reputation for the hotel," said a Sri Lankan CEO who was meeting a foreign businessman in the lobby.

There are other Colombo hotels too where there are similar happenings in the lobby but not as prominent as the one referred to.

Upside down
Employees at a key state-run research agency are disappointed that the new minister has turned the place upside down with new policies. "It's sad that this kind of thing happens when governments change. All the good research work is undone," said one disgusted worker.

Back to Business