Aitken to build Rs. 48 m hotel school at Ahungalla

Aitken Spence Hotel Holdings (ASHH) in a joint venture with Hilfswerk Austria, a non profit organisation, will build a hotel school at a cost of Rs. 48 million in Ahungalla.

ASHH has reached many milestones in the recent past and the main reason for its success is attributed to the excellent relationship it has with the community in which it operates. ASHH has always recognised the local community as an important stakeholder in its development strategy.

ASHH has a long-term plan to alleviate poverty in Ahungalla and elevate the living standards of the community by educating the youth. To achieve this objective, a hotel school will be constructed at Ahungalla aimed at developing vocational skills of the youth in the area.

The hotel school will be built and operated as a social service initiative of the company.

The students will be charged a nominal fee for theory and practical lessons to cover the cost of operations. Any shortfall will be borne by the company. It is proposed to hold four basic level courses in cookery, house-keeping, reception and food and beverage services. Those who pass out will be able to seek employment anywhere in the country including in hotels run by the company.

The hotel school operations will be carried out under the supervision of a principal and two permanent lecturers who will be resident in the premises.

All administrative functions will be the responsibility of a Registrar under the principal. Senior executives of ASHH will serve as visiting lecturers and resource personnel. Initially the proposed hotel school intake will be limited to 100 students of which 30 will be residential.

A two-acre block of land has already been procured from Katuwila Road in Ahungalla. The total floor area of the school will be 14,585 sq.ft. which will comprise lecture rooms, auditoriums, restaurants and other facilities.

The hotel school will consist of several buildings separated by planted spaces. Architectural drawings have been prepared and approval has been obtained from the local authority. Tender documents which include structural, architectural, service drawings and BOQ are under preparation. It is proposed to commence construction work next month while it is planned to complete construction by late 2007.