Mövenpick Hotel Colombo welcomes the season with upcycled Christmas tree lighting ceremony

Danu Padmi and Nadia

• A 16ft Christmas tree made of over 5,000 upcycled plastic water bottles unveiled

The first Swiss hospitality chain in the city marked the beginning of the Christmas season with their tree lighting ceremony held on 3 December. Passionate about making moments, the Mövenpick Hotel unveiled a 16ft Christmas tree, made of over 5,000 upcycled plastic water bottles.

As part of AccorHotels, a world-leading travel and lifestyle group with over 4,500 hotels, resorts, and residences across the globe, this initiative aligns with their sustainability scheme ‘Planet 21’, which hopes to combine development with growth that will serve the environment and local communities. The hotel also sends out a positive message along with this initiative to eliminate single-use plastic by the end of 2020. This tree was assembled by the engineering team with the assistance of all departments of the hotel coming together to support this cause.

The ceremony was accompanied by Voice Print, the popular award-winning Sri Lankan band specialising in acapella singing, with their beautiful Christmas renditions followed by the lighting of the upcycled Christmas tree by Mövenpick Hotel Colombo General Manager George Koumendakos.

In addition to the upcycled Christmas tree, the lobby lounge was decorated using recyclable decorations with gifts wrapped in newspapers and rope. Both the Executive Chef and Pastry Chef put together a stunning edible gingerbread house and the hotel also introduced this year’s Christmas goodies at the event.

The hotel also partnered with both Pendi and Fashion Market for the tree lighting ceremony. Pendi, a multi-brand lifestyle store houses a variety of homeware, beauty, and wellness products along with gifts and accessories, all proudly designed and made in Sri Lanka. Each product is part of a limited collection, hand-finished and reflective of the designer’s and artisan’s personal style. They will also continue with a pop-up store at the lobby lounge in keeping with the Christmas cheer and guests can purchase eco-friendly decorations and gift items throughout the season. Fashion Market is a global fashion destination with their own signature look. Built on a contemporary island style, it captures the heart of Sri Lanka. Their collections are inspired by real life, street style, art, and culture. They are also a worldwide platform for carefully handpicked designers and brands.

Visit the Mövenpick Hotel Colombo this Christmas season and watch them transform the hotel into a magical place for families to create fond memories that are meant to be treasured.