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MarketBefore eco-tourism gained credibility as amarketing platform, a hotel that combined rock,water, conservation and cultural values tookshape in the jungles adjacent to Sigiriya, minutesaway from centuries-old monasteries andtemples.The hotel – Heritance Kandalama – ismainly promoted by prestigious tour operatorsin the UK, Germany, Italy, France andSwitzerland.This segment of the marketaccounts for approximately 70% of the hotel’soccupancy.There is also a growing FrequentIndependent Traveller (FIT) segment visiting thehotel.This group stays for longer periods, thanksto enhanced facilities like spas and experienceexcursions.The domestic market accounts for25% of the hotel’s business, with substantialrevenue streams being derived fromconferences and seminars.

The hotel blends perfectly with the naturalenvironment, while preserving the aura ofancient hermit caves. All its rooms havebalconies overlooking two of the mostprominent UNESCO World Heritage Sites,namely the fifth century AD Sigiriya rockfortress (also known as the eighth wonder ofthe world) and the first century BC Dambullarock temple.

Heritance Kandalama takes the eco label veryseriously, conscious that a modern hotel can, infact, impact the local environment positively. Itseco-park demonstrates the vir tues of optimisingthe use of natural resources, not to mentionminimising waste by means of recycling.Thehotel has a comprehensive water-conservationpolicy, so surface water isn’t utilised by thehotel. Water is obtained from 150-200 foottube wells and a maze of gutters collectsrainwater. In place, too, is an environmentallysensitive purchasing policy that screens allsuppliers to ensure their products only have aminimal impact on the environment.

Energy conservation includes power cut-offswitches, low-intensity-energy lighting, photo-active garden lights and solar-powered hot-water systems.The hotel has even embarked onan ambitious project to help manage wetgarbage in the nearby town of Dambulla, a hubfor Sri Lanka’s largest vegetable-distributionindustry.

Beyond all this, at a local level, the hotel iscommitted to the social and culturaldevelopment of the people in the area. It isworking with 39 schools on awareness buildingvis-a-vis environmental conservation, and itprovides financial assistance and participates inprogrammes to improve the physical and socialinfrastructure of the community.

Heritance Kandalama, the flagship of theAitken Spence chain of hotels, is ideallypositioned to meet the challenges of thetourism industry, to cater to eco-travellers andto safeguard the environment.

Achievements Amongst the hotel’s achievements are: the firstGreen Globe 21 certified hotel in Asia; beingthe first hotel in the world to be awarded theprestigious Leadership in Energy andEnvironment Design (LEEDS) green buildingcertification; the Ultimate Service Award 2001for the Indian subcontinent and the IndianOcean region; the first hotel globally to receivethe Thomsons Gold Award for environmentalcommitment; the Green Tourism Award by thePacific Area Travel Writers Association(PATWA); the Saga Good Food Award 2005 forthe tenth consecutive year ; the INTACH-SATTEHeritage Award in 2001; the President’sEnvironmental Award 2005; the CommunityLeader Award 2005; and the PATA Green LeafGold Award for Environmental Education.

HistoryThe hotel commenced operations in 1994 amidthe type of controversy that usually surroundsmodern architecture and infrastructure in manyparts of the world. Just as railroads in theprevious century or real-estate developmentsmore recently have sometimes been cast asunnecessary interferences with nature, thehotel’s launch was met with similar opposition. Itwas, after all, situated near an irrigation reservoirthat was a vital resource for thousands offarmers in nearby villages and it was situated inthe heart of the Cultural Triangle.There werealso many protests from Buddhist monks whofeared that a hotel springing up in a villageenvironment would negatively impact the ruralcommunity.

Its management, cognisant of these issues,took steps to address them and work with themonks as well as the villagers, to buildrelationships that have helped Aitken Spence tooperate this award-winning resort in asustainable manner.The villagers have benefitedin many ways because of the hotel, viaelectrification, employment in the hotel(approximately 60% of its staff are fromneighbouring villages), upgrading local schoolsand numerous community-developmentprogrammes.

With its best practices in environmentalmanagement, including the 3R principles ofReduce, Reuse and Recycle, the hotel hasachieved considerable cost savings.Thisknowledge has enabled it to assist the localgovernment of Dambulla to operate a wet-garbage disposal system which has, in turn, wonrecognition for Heritance Kandalama.

After 12 years of successful and sustainableoperations, the hotel underwent a medium-scalerefurbishment programme whereby all its roomswere upgraded in line with the simplistic themeof its creator, the late Deshabandu GeoffreyBawa.

Product Heritance Kandalama stands at the foot of thenorthern slopes of Sri Lanka’s central hills,vir tually leaning against a thickly wooded rockyoutcrop, in close proximity to five UNESCOWorld Heritage Sites. Designed by the eminent

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architect Bawa, whose creations blend with thenatural environment, its design doesn’t hinderthe passage of water downhill into the man-made Kandalama irrigation reservoir,constructed in the first century AD. Architecturein the vicinity of the hotel comprises centuries-old ruins of cities, palaces, temples andmonasteries.

And the hotel offers a glimpse of Sri Lanka,perhaps like no other. Sri Lanka is rich inbiodiversity, with as many as 27 specific eco-systems.Visitors encounter more than 3,360species of flowering plants, 1,920 fungi, 242butterflies, 78 fresh-water fish, 322 non-migrantbirds and 250 amphibians.

In this rich diversity, Heritance Kandalama,because of its location and what it stands for,offers a unique experience.This includes: a dryriverbed trek with intermittent pools, beinghome to a variety of fresh-water fish, includingsome rare endemics; a trip through the Knucklesrange of mountains, providing an opportunity toview the biodiversity covering several habitats;bird-watching trails in the forest around thehotel, with tree huts and hides to observe some165 species of aquatic, terrestrial and arborealbirds; close proximity to reservoirs in the region,which are rich in bird life – the Thuruwila tank isan hour’s drive, and the Kaudulla tank andMinneriya National Wildlife Park are also one-hour drives (Minneriya is home to 24 species ofmammals, 160 species of birds, nine species ofamphibians, 25 species of reptiles, 26 species offresh-water fish and 75 species of butterflies); adry-season feeding ground for wild elephants;the Namal Uyana (Ceylon Ironwood Forest)and the pink quartzite mountains, including riverbathing in scenic spots; the WasgomuwaNational Wildlife Park – a three-and-a-half hourdrive; the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, one ofthe best in the East, which is a vir tual paradisefor the botanist interested in tropical flora – atwo-hour drive; the Menikdena archaeologicalreserve and arboretum, where many species ofthe tropical, dry, mixed-evergreen forest can beviewed – a 45-minutes drive; Kaludiya Pokuna –which boasts ancient archaeological remains andebony trees more than five metres incircumference – a twenty-minute drive or one-hour trek; natural pools with aquatic plants

which include the national flower of Sri Lanka,The Blue Water Lily, White Lilies and Lotuses –a fifteen-minute drive; Wild Orchid Walk, wheremore than 50% of the 165 species of wildorchids are endemic; and the Butterfly Route,where travellers can observe more than 75species, including many endemics around thehotel.

Also available at the hotel is elephant-backtrekking in the Kandalama forest, horse ridingalong the banks of the tank and through jungletrails, river safaris with fishing upstream from thetank, rafting and canoe rides to the bird island inthe tank, mountain climbing and bicycling.

There are 152 air-conditioned rooms,fourteen suites, 44 rooms with jacuzzis, threerestaurants, tennis, table tennis, indoor games,billiards, a gymnasium and a spa, a businesscentre, and comprehensive conference andseminar facilities.The rooms are equipped withtimber flooring,TV, mini bar, telephone, pipedmusic, and 24-hour room and laundry services.

Recent DevelopmentsA US$ 5 million refurbishment programme wasconcluded in early 2006 by fully upgrading allrooms and many general areas.The rooms weredesigned with simple luxury in mind – they haveBurma-teak timber flooring, solid timbercupboards with wall panelling and crisp cottonlinen.Thirty premier rooms with jacuzzis andfourteen suites, including the Royal Suite, werealso upgraded. A new spa complex now adornsthe top of the Sigiriya Wing, with a panoramicview of the Kandalama tank.The spa is managedby the internationally acclaimed Six-Senses Spas.All the restaurants and bars were upgraded, too.

PromotionPast Strategy – More emphasis was placed onthe tour-operator market, with special pricingstrategies in place.This was highly successful andthe hotel enjoyed a healthy year-roundoccupancy.This strategy was also extended tolocal travel agents, whereby the hotel waspromoted as a premier round-tour property.The domestic market contributed nearly 25% tothe hotel’s performance.

Present Strategy – Post refurbishment andarmed with many new facilities such as the spa,

the emphasis is now on holiday packages thatcater to long-stay vacations. A more interactiveweb presence is also being created, with anInternet Payment Gateway and more exposurein the foreign media also on the cards. A newbranding strategy emphasises the hotel’s newphilosophy, Where Tradition Is Alive.

It advertises locally in almost all magazinesand the press is used to promote specialpackages. With the launch of its new branding, astrategic media plan which includes radio is nowin place.

Brand ValuesThe two words (heritage and inheritance) werethe basis for part of the hotel’s new brandname, Heritance.They describe the essence ofthe hotel’s brand. Heritage refers to what ispassed down from one generation to another –a custom, a tradition or an attribute which is animmaterial possession. It denotes the standardsthat are established on the basis of knowledgeand experience in hospitality – learning fromthe past, specifically that of its parent company’s140-year life span, to build for the future.

Inheritance is the material counterpart ofheritage, bequeathing the estates and assetspassed down from one generation to another –a transmission of assets, so to speak.The hotelconsiders the locality and environment itoperates in as its inheritance. It is somethingthat has been bequeathed, but has to be lookedafter and passed down to the next generation.And last but by no means least, anenvironmental focus has been at the forefrontof the hotel’s branding strategy.

www.heritancehotels.com

THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT

The only hotel in the world where guests canview two UNESCO World Heritage Sites –namely, the Dambulla cave temples and theSigiriya rock fortress.

Probably the longest hotel in the world,spanning 995 metres.

One of the rarest locations in the world,where visitors see the fastest animal in flightin the world – the Shahin Falcon.

Theoretically, if the hotel were to berelocated from its present position, theoriginal land that existed before constructiontook place will come into view.The originalland profile was not disturbed duringconstruction.

HERITANCE Kandalama