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| Sunday, 3 March 2002 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Sanmali Beach Hotel - in the golden beaches of Marawila
Set in the splendour of a tropical beach and the charm of a peaceful fishing village in Marawila, is the Sanmali Beach Hotel. Just 35 km from the Bandaranaike International Airport, the hotel is nestled in a quaint fishing village close to the famous 'Kurusa Palliya' at Wella Road, Marawila. The hotel overlooks a palm-fringed sandy beach and clear blue ocean, where guests get an opportunity to experience the native coastal lifestyle at the unspoiled natural beach in Marawila. When Dr. Neville Fernando, Chairman and Managing Director of Sanmali Beach Hotel, and his wife Kamala also a doctor migrated to the USA 25 years ago, their ambition and vision was to build a holiday resort of their own in their motherland and make it their family home in Sri Lanka whenever they came on holiday. The Sanmali has now certainly become a 'home away from home' not only to the their family but to tourists from around the world. The resort is ideally located for family outings, company picnics conferences and workshops due to its pleasant location. Built on a four acre land with a beautiful beach frontage at Marawila, the hotel offers 20 spacious rooms each with a private balcony or terrace offering a panoramic full view of the ocean. All rooms have attached bath with hot/cold water, with a choice or air condition or ceiling fan. The hotel has become very popular for 'repeat clientele' from around the world. It is managed by a veteran hotelier, Ratnasiri Waidyaratne who has over 25 years experience in the hospitality industry. Since Waidyaratne took over the Sanmali Beach Hotel, there has been a marked improvement both in quality and facilities offered to tourists. Sanmali offers a 100 capacity restaurant with a panoramic view of the ocean servicing delicious food, buffets and 'a-la-carte' menus, a large swimming pool with a built-in waterfall and kiddies pool, cocktail bar with ocean view, lounge/conference hall and dance pavilion, beach hut serving drinks and snacks, outdoor patio or garden dining under palm trees, live music and cultural shows for evening entertainment. Sports activities include beach volley ball, ocean boat rides and fishgig trips, lagoon and canon cruises, river canoeing, indoor games, bicycle rides, visits to neighbouring batik factories and shrimp farm and bazaar. The hotel also offers trips to ancient ruins, historic Buddhist and Hindu temples, sightseeing and shopping in west-coast towns, nature and eco-tours, visits to bird sanctuary and elephant orphanage, and trips to the hill country and tea plantation. The main attraction Sanmali offers is the boat ride from Marawila to Chilaw along the Negombo lagoon. Manager, Sanmali Beach Hotel, Ratnasiri Waidyaratne is working round
the clock to make the hotel a star class resort and attract more and more
tourists. Aitken Spence Hotels receive world acclamation Aitken Spence Hotels Group which is committed to sustainable development once again has received world acclamation for its efforts at The Tea Factory in Nuwara Eliya. "The Tea Factory" was the recipient of the UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Merit Award for 2001 for the conversion of a dilapidated Tea Factory into a luxury hotel complex. The UNESCO news release says "The impressive conversion of a tea factory into a luxury hotel complex demonstrates a challenging adaptive reuse project executed with commendable skill and vision. The project showcases the industrial heritage of the Ceylon hill country, where tea factories are the predominant building type, and suggests how this legacy can be adapted to future uses. The respectful treatment of the exterior allowed the project to maintain its contextual integrity, while bolder interior interventions allowed the building to assume its new role in the hospitality sector." This is the second award 'The Tea Factory' received for its conservation efforts after it received the RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, London) award in the year 2000. This award is presented to encourage and recognize the outstanding achievements and technical ingenuity in the field of conservation and enhancement of built and natural environment. Aitken Spend Hotels commitment to sustainable tourism has been recognized by many International organisations such as Green Globe: The first Green Globe 21 certified Hotel in Asia - Kandalama Hotel United States Green Building Council: First hotel in the world to receive the 'LEEDS' Green Building certification - Kandalama Hotel Pacific Asia Travel Asso: Greenleaf Gold Award for Environmental Education - Kandalama Hotel Thompson Holidays: First hotel in the world to receive the Gold Award for Environmental commitment - Kandalama Hotel In keeping with the Environmental Policy of Aitken Spence Hotels and also in pursuance of the vision, mission and guiding principles of the Aitken Spence Group, sustainable development takes top priority. The latest award for the Tea Factory from UNESCO is a fine testament to this fact. Aitken Spence Hotels consider the natural and cultural heritage as their most valuable asset after its human resources. A concerted effort is being made in its chain of hotels to preserve nature and also to contribute towards the upliftment of the community in the surroundings. They are also guided by the requirements of the International Finance Corporation on Environmental & Social Responsibility for tourist destinations. Starting with trail blazing Kandalama, the corporate approach is to build up the environmental and social consciousness of the employees to interact with the neighbouring communities, the guests and all stakeholders in an eco friendly manner. All employees in Aitken Spence Hotels are inducted into environmental conservation and made aware of the cultural sensitivities of the neighbouring communities. This is included as an essential component of their training. Environmental committees are formed by the staff and is practised as a strict discipline in the hotels. The Eco park at Kandalama Hotel is an example of the efforts of the staff to sell their ideology of preserving nature. An effort to educate the community at large has today become an added attraction to all visitors to Kandalama Hotel. PATA Gold Award is in recognition of efforts of the Kandalama Hotel and its Eco-park on environmental education. Environmental committees of the hotels also interact with the communities to enhance and enrich their knowledge and skills on environmental and cultural conservation. Transparency in all environmental activities is ensured by making the policies available to guests, visitors and the general public, and also welcoming suggestions from them to pursue continued improvement. It is worthy to note that Aitken Spence Hotels has a passion to protect its environment and promote environmental awareness amongst its stakeholders and they believe this discipline to be a vital ingredient in their success, said Susith Jayawickrama, Director General Manager Aitken Spence Hotel Management (Pvt) Ltd. |
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