Grand Kandyan Hotel: The king of the hills
The latest addition to Kandy’s fast growing hospitality industry Grand Kandyan Hotel (GKH) is the perfect haven for those with time to explore Kandyan warmth hospitality and diverse cultures. Located in the heart of the City off Lady Gordon’s Drive, the GKH was declared open by the President Rajapaksa on October 9. GKH is just ten minutes from ‘Dalada Maligawa’ and main city shopping area and has 306 degree view of popular Udawatta Kele, Hantana range, Knuckles, Hunasgiriya Mountains and south slop.
As its name suggests, the Grand Kandyan is the epitome of extravagance and profusion with a beautiful and scenic atmosphere with the makings of an unforgettable stay for guests. With over a 100 tastefully furnished rooms equipped with a wide range of deluxe amenities, abundance of recreational, food and beverage facilities to choose from, the Grand Kandyan offers unparalleled luxury and comfort for all guests. This includes two Presidential suites, one Grand Presidential Suite, five Junior Suites, three Honeymooners Suites and 89 deluxe rooms.
‘This new BOI project under ‘Nipeyum Sri Lanka’ is to meet the anticipated increase in demand for tourism in the hill region of Sri Lanka’ said Gamini Weeraratne, the Managing Director of the Devon Group, the owning company of the hotel. ‘This was a dream of my father Dharmadasa Weeraratne, who started Devon in Kandy in 1977. Though my father is no more with us, I am glad to fulfil his dream’ added Weeraratne.
MD Gamini Weeraratne
The Grand Kandyan Hotel is the newest upscale hotel in the heart of Sri Lanka. Offering stylish, comfortable accommodations in an ideal location bordering to the ‘Dalada Maligawa’, the hotel’s spacious tastefully furnished guest rooms and suites are perfect for families, couples, groups and business travellers alike, and its ‘gold and cream’ theme feature a myriad of luxury amenities to make hospitality experience more enjoyable.
‘At The Grand Kandyan, guests are treated with the reverence, respect and care given to royalty. With the plethora of thing to do and see, one loses track of time at this majestic, luxurious retreat. Unwind in our swimming pool, take a tour with one of our own tour guides, indulge in a productive workout or drift off under the soothing hands of our expert masseuses in our spa’ said Thusith Samaraweera, the veteran General Manager of the Hotel.
Facilities available in the hotel comprise rooms of various designs and concepts. All guestrooms offer a wide range of deluxe amenities including private balconies, luxuriously furnished rooms and IDD telephone with voice mail, satellite TV, Wi Fi facilities, a mini bar, personal safe lockers and a 24 hour room service. The cuisine at Grand Kandyan is always catering to the needs of the guests. The Indian, Thai and main restaurants offer international dishes to the guests with Sri Lankan diversity cuisine range.
‘We offer traditional Kandyan dishes to our guests but capable of serving anything from around the globe’ said the Chief Chef of the hotel. The best in Indian delights are served daily at the hotel Indian restaurant which provides everything from Indian traditional. ‘Indian Restaurant will serve authentic Indian cuisine, which will be the very first of its kind in Kandy. There was a huge demand for Indian food in Kandy and especially with the increase in Indian travellers to Kandy’ GM Thusith added.
‘Thai-thumb’, specialized Thai restaurant serves the best in Thai delights. Coffee Shop, Lobby Café, Sky Lounge and Pool Terrace / Blitz Bar are some of the other popular dining areas of the Grand Kandyan. ‘Whether you are going to have a business lunch, romantic candlelight dinner or just a drink after a busy day, the five-star Grand Kandyan Hotel will always meet your needs said Thusith, the GM.
Thusith Samaraweera , the General Manager of the ‘Grand Kandyan’ hotel in Kandy is an accomplished hotelier with many years of hospitality experience. Samaraweera has an excellent track record in improved operations. With many years of experience working overseas for ACCOR group in the UAE and here in Sri Lanka, his professional expertise and knowledge have been put to good use. Of late as a consultant, he headed a large project in upgrading and providing advice on continuous development of properties under Amagi Group, and other investing companies that have joined the leisure industry in recent times.
Popularly known for its excellent banqueting facilities, the hotel has the largest amongst the best in the Central Province. Royal Peacock Ballroom can accommodate up to 1000 pax, while Golden Eagle has the capacity for 350 people. The Flemingo Banquet hall has the capacity for 400 pax on theatre style. Apart from adventure tours to Knuckles, Meemure and Hunnasgiriya, Kandy city round up, Botanical Gardens, Pinnawala, Tea Museum and tours to Udawatta Kele, Victoria and Randenigala and Mahiyangana are quite popular with Sri Lankan clientele.
‘We offer facilities fro excursions with guides on requests’ said Anuradha Gamage, the FOM. The room rate at the Grand Kandyan ranges from Rs 19,000/- (deluxe) to Rs 52,000/- for Grand Presidential Suite.
For more details call 081 – 2030400-6, 0759528107 or log onto www.grandkandyan.com
