Rs 750 mn Grand Udawalawe Resort opens on Sat.

Sara Pathirana

The Management of The Grand Udawalawe Safari Resort invested approximately Rs.750 million for their maiden hotel in Udawalawe which will be opened on Saturday. The investor s comprising seven directors would also invest a further Rs. 300 million to build the region's first Avurvedha hotel in Udawalawe.

Deputy Chairman, Anura Withanage said that they would be investing Rs.300 million while the balance would be financed through borrowings from the Bank of Ceylon. “With tourism booming we hope to break even in four years,” he said. Due to adverse weather conditions the completing of the project was delayed by a few months and they missed the opportunity to market the hotel during the recently concluded T20 cricket world cup he said.

He said that they would also build a second hotel in the same premises promoting the concept of Ayurvedha and said that they had positioned the hotel to be a four star property. The “Grand Udawalawe Safari Resort” would have 53 rooms (inclusive of 04 suites) built on a 7 acre land, and would be the first four star resort hotel in Sabaragamuwa Province.

All rooms would have Internet and IDD facilities, satellite TV facilities with international/ local channels.

In addition there would be a large banquet hall with seating capacity of 450, conference hall with 200 seating capacity, specially designed swimming pool and a restaurant which can accommodate 250.

The hotel will be ceremonially declared open by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on October 27, 2012 at 10 a.m.

The Grand Udawalawe Safari Resort has agreed with the farms of Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka to purchase all their fruit and vegetable requirements and from farmers in the surrounding villages. The recruitment policy of the hotel also gives priority to the youth of the area. The resort is owned by Rosen Lanka Pvt Ltd