THE GRAND KANDYAN HOTEL
Q: How is your establishment preparing to celebrate the Sinhalese and Tamil New Year?
A: The Sinhalese and Tamil New Year marks a new beginning in Sri Lankan culture. We expect many tourists to visit our hotel in the month of April with the travel restrictions lifted. Many Sri Lankans are also eagerly waiting to visit their family and friends in Kandy to celebrate Avurudu.
We have planned to conduct all rituals in-house, from boiling milk to applying Nanu as done annually. These are being organised in order to offer guests a homely experience during their stay with us. In addition, there’s a long weekend from 13 to 17 April this year, and we’ve arranged a special discounted rate for local residents to come and enjoy a five-star luxury experience.
Q: How are you incorporating digital platforms for your Avurudu celebrations and portfolio in general?
A: With the advancing technological changes, digital platforms have become one of the quickest tools to reach the target audience. We believe that Facebook, Instagram and the Grand Kandyan Hotel website are our three primary sources of interacting with customers.
Customers and hotels have already forged a special bond through digital platforms as correspondent, and news update times are shorter than with any other tools. We have incorporated our digital platforms into the celebrations by offering special discounts through promo codes and links.
We have planned many activities for the festive season, and all these events will be conducted by maintaining the prescribed distance and abiding by government protocols.
Q: What are the trends you see regarding customer behaviour?
A: In view of the pandemic, our guests are vigilant about health and safety measures. As responsible hoteliers, we abide by all health and safety measures imposed by the government, and this gives our customers a sense of relief to enjoy their vacations with peace of mind.
Q: How is the Grand Kandyan planning to deal with the pandemic to ensure safety during the festive period?
A: As mentioned earlier, we see a drastic move towards health and safety from guests. They are more cautious about how we maintain our health and safety procedures. We’ve ensured all staff are fully vaccinated with three doses – indeed, we prioritise the wellbeing of our staff and guests alike. Guests feel much safer to be served by fully vaccinated service providers.
We have planned many activities for the festive season, and all these events will be conducted by maintaining the prescribed distance and abiding by
government protocols. In brief, as general practices of the hotel, we follow the traditional greeting of Sri Lanka (Ayubowan) at all times in place of shaking hands.
All staff wear face masks while on duty; and in all service areas, we disinfect all furniture after each encounter with guests and all visitor contact points as frequently as possible (i.e. at least four times a day). We follow these protocols to ensure that guests feel safe to enjoy their stay at the Grand Kandyan.
Q: What do you expect the April season to be like in Kandy – given that this is the first Avurudu season in two years and people are excited about celebrating outside their homes?
A: We expect a high demand for the staycation market during this April season. Many New Year activities are planned within the hotel and in the Kandy city; therefore, we believe many people will travel to Kandy to enjoy the April season.
With the opening of the Kurunegala Highway, the hassles we have had over time spent in traffic have reduced. With easy and quick access to Kandy, we expect a high number of local travellers during this season.
Q: How would you describe the competition – and what strategies do you employ to differentiate your hotel and stay ahead?
A: Tourism and hospitality can be considered an extremely competitive and volatile market; therefore, it naturally creates high competition. As a leading hotel in Kandy, we believe in guest satisfaction as our strategy to become a market leader.
We ensure that every guest who comes in through Grand Kandyan’s doors receives customised service and our well-trained staff offer their services to the best of their ability. In addition, we believe our heartfelt service entices guests to return to the Grand Kandyan – they become part of the Grand Kandyan family following their first visit.
Q: What are your organisation’s plans for the rest of this year?
A: With travel restrictions being lifted in a number of countries, we expect many foreigners to arrive in Sri Lanka. Therefore, like any growing entity, we hope to expand too.
The first step is reopening our Thai restaurant, which was not in operation for quite some time due to the pandemic. We have reopened it by appointing new chefs and introducing new menus, which offer customers a place to experience authentic Thai cuisine in Kandy.
In addition, our luxury boutique villa in Kothmale – Rosen Villa – is also back in operation, thereby diversifying our business.