Galle Face Hotel doorman clocks 50 years of service
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Sri Lanka's oldest hotel doorman speaks at a felicitation event.
50 years ago, Rathnayaka Mudiyanselage Punchi Banda carried his first barrel of beer into the tap room at the Galle Face Hotel. Now – at 71 years old – the loyal employee is still earning his keep at Sri Lanka’s oldest and most fabled property, the hotel said in a media release.
Mr. Banda was barely out of his teens when he began work at the property on July 17, 1966. By then the hotel, which opened in 1864, was already more than 100 years old. In his first 10 years, he worked his way from bar labourer to security guard. Forty years ago, he began greeting guests as a doorman, a task he still performs admirably today. “Mr. Banda is more than just a doorman. He is the face of the property,” said Sanjeev Gardiner, chairman of the Galle Face Hotel.
“He’s the first person guests see when they arrive and often the last person from the hotel they see as they depart. Speaking about his passion for the job, Mr. Banda said, “I like to talk and the fact that I get to smile with people, really makes my day as well as theirs. I want everyone to be happy. It is important to be passionate about your job and to treat people with sincerity and respect and this is what I have practised all these years.” Over the years he has welcomed many famous guests including Indira Gandhi, Marshal Tito, Fidel Castro, and Yuri Gagarin. He’s greeted many former Sri Lankan presidents and prime ministers and once, he held an umbrella for Arthur C. Clark, author of 3001: The Final Odyssey (which was penned at the hotel).
He trained under the watchful eye of Kottarappu Chattu Kuttan, Sri Lanka’s most famous doorman who worked at the hotel until his passing in 2014. At the time of his death Mr.Kuttan had served at the hotel for 72 years and was one of the oldest hotel employees in the world – at 94 years of age. During the glamorous event organised to felicitate Mr. Banda for his invaluable contribution to the Hotel, Mr. Gardiner handed him with an award to commemorate the long service he has solidified towards the prestigious property.