Bandarawela Hotel (Sinhala: බණ්ඩාරවෙල හෝටලය) is a star-class British-colonial heritage hotel located in Bandarawela in Badulla District, Sri Lanka. Situated within walking distance from the Bandarawela Railway Station, it is said to be the country's first mountain resort hotel.
History
The hotel was constructed in 1893, during the British Colonial period (1815-1948) mainly for the use of tea planters and their family members (De Silva & Chandrasekara, 2009). Initially, it was an exclusive club and guest house for Europeans only. During World War II (1939-1945), it was used as a convalescent home for recuperating British soldiers (Ordóñez de Pablos, 2016). Between 1924 and 1926, it was purchased from the government by Miller & Co. and in 1983, the hotel's management was handed over to Aitken Spence Hotel Management (Pvt) Ltd (Ordóñez de Pablos, 2016).
The hotel is situated 1,200 m above sea level. Consisting of 33 rooms, dining areas, lobbies, and restaurants, the hotel building shows the influence of British architecture during the period of the colonial era in this region.
Presently, the hotel is managed by Aitken Spence Hotel (Pvt) Ltd.
A protected monument
The Bandarawela Hotel situated in the Village of Bandarawela in the Divisional Secretary’s Division of Bandarawela is an archaeological protected monument, declared by a government gazette notification published on 23 January 2009.
References
1) De Silva, N.; Chandrasekara, D.P., 2009. Heritage Buildings of Sri Lanka. Colombo: The National Trust Sri Lanka, ISBN: 978-955-0093-01-4. p.180.
2) Ordóñez de Pablos, P. ed., 2016. Managerial strategies and solutions for business success in Asia. IGI Global. p.308.
3) The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, no: 1586. 23 January 2009. p.105.
Explore Other Nearby Attractions
Location Map (Google)
This page was last updated on 3 March 2023
