Hayleys enters tea bungalow tourism
The Amaya hotel chain is set to open up in Nuwara Eliya with four boutique bungalows on tea estates under the Hayleys Group with an investment of approximately Rs.200 million. Four tea estates belonging to Kelani Valley Plantations and Talawakelle Plantations are set to open up to the tourism’s niche clientele as boutique ventures in Nuwara Eliya due to the increasing general demand and the fact that both these products go hand in glove, Hayleys Leisure Managing Director Lalin Samarawickrama told the Business Times.
These would be “typical colonial bungalows” and one of the oldest of those in the country located at Oliphant estate under the Kelani Valley Plantations is currently being renovated at a cost of around Rs.50 million, he said. The Oliphant bungalow would come under the Amaya brand and marketed along with the estate name with seven rooms scheduled to open in December for which marketing is set to get underway by the end of this month, Mr. Samarawickrama explained. This bungalow is set to offer tourists a lot of trekking, the Ceylon Tea experience and holidaying in the middle of Nuwara Eliya.
The other locations currently identified for the promotion of tourism on tea estates through its bungalows would be on Pedro Estate in Nanu Oya and other parts of Nuwara Eliya. Three bungalows would be under refurbishment throughout next year, the head of the group’s leisure arm noted adding that these would comprise at least six rooms in each. Attracting visitors from markets like the Middle East who prefer to holiday in cooler climes like Nuwara Eliya and Kandy and the UK clientele that wish to reminisce the bygone era in the focus of this market, Mr. Samarawickrama explained.