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| Sunday, 7 May 2006 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Seruwa Hotel - so refreshing and elegant by Jayampathy Jayasinghe
While vacationing at Polonnaruwa last week the shrieking sounds of a bird flying about the lake awoke me around 6 a.m. It was peering through the glass window across the misty lake but I could not spot the bird that disturbed my sleep. However, it was so refreshing to be up at the time to breathe fresh air that flowed across the lake. The Seruwa Hotel where I stayed was built in the early seventies. It was one of the few luxury hotels built by the Ceylon Hotels Corporation (CHC) in the outstation. The Hotel it overlooks the Parakrama Samudraya (Lake) at Polonnaruwa. The Parakrama Samudraya is made up of three rivers consisting of Eramudhu, Dumbutu and Thopa that wends its way through mountainous region. The Mahaveli waters too feeds the lake. The mountains that stretch from Kekirawa to Minneriya join the range of mountains at Ritigala. It is quite visible from a distance and it somewhat resembles the Knuckle Range of mountains in the Kandy district. Beyond the lake is a thick emerald forest that runs parallel to the mountain. During sunset, the sun which takes the shape of an orange ball dips behind the mountains making the atmosphere gloomy. The distant mountains are a gateway to a picturesque valley. Flocks of birds flying above the lake could be seen heading towards their nestings during this time. Seruwa Hotel's Manager S. Sennathilaka, a senior officer at the Hotels Corporation said that the corporation's strategy long ago should have been to promote Habarana as a tourist destination. Only then it could promote tourist hot spots such as Sigiriya, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa. However, the private sector was quick in realising this potential and Habarana was promoted. They even arranged tours like the elephant excursions to capture the market. But the Corporation did not capitalise on this important aspect". Sennathilaka said although the hotel rooms are centrally air conditioned, the airconditioning plant is activated only when most rooms are occupied. If guests prefer airconditioned rooms, we have 14 rooms fitted with separate air-conditioning plants. The Galle Face Hotel, that manages the Seruwa Hotel has planned to upgrade all rooms. The hotel has a room capacity of 40 and could accommodate 96 guests. It is packed to capacity during the European winter season. A new swimming pool will be built shortly. The earlier swimming pool was acquired by a hotel nearby and a partially built wall had been put up to obstruct its view. Seruwa's peak season is during April and August when the school vacation is on. Foreign tourists too visit the hotel during week days. Senathilaka said that local visitors stay at the hotel at least for two days to visit the archaeological sites in the area. The hotel is also reputed for hosting local weddings. Actress Anarkali who was at the hotel for a musical program said. "When I walked into the hotel every one was there to greet me. I had milk rice during the auspicious time and every one was smiling at me." She said it was a pleasure to be away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Sennathilaka said the Museum at Polonnaruwa is another attraction for visitors. "Unlike the Seruwa hotel the Rest House at Polonnaruwa which has 10 rooms is always full. Everybody who comes to Polonnaruwa goes there. It is a historical place. Even Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II stayed at the Rest House when she visited Polonnaruwa in 1954. The Queen's Room is still preserved," he said. The border between the Hotel and the lake has been described as an elephant corridor. Herds of roaming elephants have been spotted heading towards the rice fields in the village. "Last week I even spotted three wild elephants heading towards the same direction. Elephants swim through the lake to visit rice fields. They also cause tremendous destruction to crops and paddy," he said. SriLankan Toastmasters Club wins Smedley award Toastmasters International has honoured the SriLankan Airlines Toastmasters Club with the Ralph Smedley Award Banner Ribbon for the first term of 2005. The Smedley Award is presented to Toastmasters Clubs around the world that demonstrate dynamism in terms of membership development stemming from efforts towards growth and activities. The SriLankan Toastmasters Club has grown steadily in stature, providing educational programs for the airline's staff in the art of communication, and having its members participate in various national and international events. Toastmasters, founded in 1924, is a worldwide movement that promotes communication and leadership skills to assist people from all walks of life in realising their true potential. Toastmasters International, with headquarters in California, has more than 211,000 members in 10,500 clubs in 90 countries. Its current International President is Dr. Dilip Abayasekara, a Sri Lankan who lives in the United States. The Sri Lankan Toastmasters Club, which was chartered in October 2002 and currently has 65 members throughout the airline, was awarded "Distinguished Club" status by Toastmasters International for three consecutive years for its performance and steady growth. "Maintaining 'Distinguished' status for three consecutive years was an excellent achievement for a club that was founded only three years ago," said President of the Club Aruna Jayalath. "We have received excellent support from the management of SriLankan Airlines, who identified the potential for improved communication among the company's staff. We've also had a lot of assistance from members of several other Toastmasters Clubs in Sri Lanka." Past President of the Club Kapila Bandara, who is also a Member of the Toastmasters Territorial Council and Sergeant-at-Arms R. Sureshkumar, were in Toronto for the Toastmasters International Convention, as part of 30 delegates from Sri Lanka. 'Elephant Corridor' to develop castle hotels Promoters of the "Elephant Corridor" hotel in Sigiriya, have ventured into Europe to develop Castle hotels. Initially we will invest around euros 5-7 million to develop castle hotels in Europe said Deputy Chairman of Our Way Susanne Filippin. She said that one of the first castle hotels to be developed is the water castle "Lembeck" in her home town Dorsten, Germany. Plans are under way to develop a number of five star plus small, luxury boutique hotels in unique locations in Sri Lanka. 'Our Way' Chairman, Prasanna Wijesinghe Jayewardene has working experience in the hotel industry in Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, France and the United Kingdom, apart from the Maldives, Pakistan, Seychelles and Malaysia. Filippin together with Prasanna Jayewardene conceptualised the "Elephant Corridor" and she has owned and operated hotels, Art Galleries and Cafes, in addition to having experience in the travel industry in Germany, Seychelles, Bali and Sri Lanka. They now believe it is the right time to move back into hotel operations in Europe. "What better than Castle Hotels", Filippin said. Our Sri Lankan operations will continue and we believe will grow and diversify, but we like to go forward and the time is right for this expansion. "Though I am German and Prasanna Jayewardene is a resident of Sweden, Sri Lanka will continue to be our base and priority. We believe in Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan people's capacity and hope to be always a part of its development". "Elephant Corridor" and its staff have more than justified this belief", she said. SG |
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