Grand Hotel invests Rs. 30 m on refurbishment

Hotel industry: The Grand Hotel Nuwara Eliya has invested Rs. 30 million to refurbish their restaurants and is looking at investing more to upgrade 30 additional rooms in the governor's wing.

The property which is over 100 years has undergone major refurbishment from time to time in the recent past which has enabled the hotel to maintain high occupancy. Deputy Chairman Mercantile Investments Ltd, and Managing Director Nuwara Eliya Hotels Company Ltd, Gerard Ondaatjie said that though the tourist arrivals were low last year the hotel did not get in to difficulty.

"We also managed to give a dividend for our shareholders," he said. The company has reinvested their profits for these investments.

He said that each year they market a new product at the world's largest tourism show, ITB in Berlin and this year the two refurbished restaurants and the new look Grand Hotel would be marketed aggressively.

He said that food and beverage sector is very important for them and this was one reason for them to invest in this area.

The hotel also won three gold medals at the recently held Chefs Guild competition. The hotel has also being winning a haul of awards at the annual garden show in Nuwara Eliya for the past 15 years and last year won 26 awards. The hotel also has their own garden and a modern laundry, which is an advantage to them.

Classified as a three star plus property the hotel operates with 153 rooms including three presidential suites, 2 governors and one junior suite.

Grand Hotel is one of the few hotels which paid a special christmas bonus for their employees. "We believe that the Human Resources is key area and the management believes a satisfied staff would be always more productive," he said.

In addition the staff also earns an average service charge of around Rs. 9000. Their main market is the British and the German while they have a very good local and Indian clientele. The company also has Nilaveli Beach hotel, Tangerine Beach Hotel, Tangerine Tours, Royal Palms, Security Ceylon Limited, Mercantile Fortunes Limited and Global Films Limited under their portfolio.