Simplicity in concept earns a tribute at World Luxury Hotel Awards
Adding yet another prestigious accolade to its impressive list of
achievements, the Maalu Maalu Resort and Spa was named the ‘Best New
Luxury Hotel’ in Sri Lanka at the 2012 World Luxury Hotel Awards held in
Kuala Lumpur on October 13.
Resort Chairman Chandra Wickramasinghe received the trophy at the
glitzy gala ceremony. The award highlights Maalu Maalu’s aim to provide
and maintain excellent service and committed quality customer care. In
the current context, luxury is not merely about generating tangible
products, it’s about how a hotel combines simplicity in design with
modern amenities together with superiority in service, which is what the
resort delivers to its perceptive customers.
Growing numbers of luxury travellers around the world seeking
excellent value, impeccable service and the highest quality are now
making a point of checking to see who has won a World Luxury Hotel Award
before making their own holiday choice, making this award an important
differentiator amongst up-market travelers. It is also a vital
accomplishment for Maalu Maalu as the Sri Lankan tourism industry aims
to market itself to a high-end clientele.
In addition to this award, Maalu Maalu has been attracting
international acknowledgment right from its inception. In its first year
of operation, the resort was listed among the top 100 hotels in the
world in the Sunday Times Traveler UK. Shortly after that, popular
travel website TripAdvisor.com awarded the resort the Certificate of
Excellence 2012, in recognition of the outstanding traveler reviews it
had received on their site.
The World Luxury Hotel Awards is held annually and is the most
prestigious and exclusive award ceremony the hotel industry has to
offer, highlighting some of the world’s most popular hotels, resorts,
lodges and private islands. This year, over 1,000 such establishments
were nominated by guests, tour operators and independent travel
consultants to receive recognition for service excellence and were
picked by industry experts and guests who have stayed at these hotels.
“Our belief is that service excellence is the most critical factor in
a hotel’s measure as a luxury hotel and that winning a World Luxury
Hotel Award based on this factor would enhance performance levels if
industry peers can be judged against other major players in the field,”
stated Marinique de Wet, Director of the World Luxury Hotel Awards at
this year’s ceremony.
It was also noted that these properties have overcome challenges in
2012, by turning them into opportunities and have exceeded the
expectations of their discerning guests. |