Ulagalla Resort wins ‘Best Sustainable Hotel’ award in APAC region

Ulagalla Resort, the luxury boutique hotel by Uga Escapes, was presented the prestigious the ‘Best Sustainable Hotel’ award at the Asia Pacific Hotel Awards Winners 2013-2014 ceremony held in Kuala Lumpur recently. Ulagalla Resort is an eco-friendly luxury boutique hotel that consists of 20 chalets over a 58-acre property in Anuradhapura.

The International Hotel Awards determines the finest hotels and hospitality companies in the world. They were developed to identify, highlight and reward excellence throughout the global hospitality industry throughout a wide range of areas. The awards are split into regions covering Asia Pacific, Arabia and Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe and UK.

The elite of the Asian hospitality industry gathered at the Shangri-la Hotel in Kuala Lumpur to hear the long-anticipated results of the Asia Pacific Hotel Awards. A total of 94 awards were given to 19 countries in the region for a variety of hotels, ranging from small to large and general to specialty.

Hidden away in the quiet village of Thirappane in the Anuradhapura district, blending perfectly with the surrounds, Ulagalla Resort offers every comfort and facility of luxurious urban living to their guests. 20 luxurious chalets – each with its own private plunge pool – offer spacious comforts with all the modern amenities.

Ulagalla Resort is just a short drive away from exciting wildlife safaris to the plains of Minneriya National Park where one can watch the majestic elephants or further West to Wilpattu National Park where the leopard rules the landscape.

Expressing his views on this latest achievement of the company, Priyanjith Weerasooriya, Managing Director, Uga Escapes, said: “Uga Escapes has always strived to be a global benchmark in the boutique hotels industry. Winning this prestigious regional award further emphasises our commitment to providing the most luxurious getaways in a sustainable manner, thereby offering a truly unique experience to all our guests.”

Speaking on the sustainability aspects of the resort, Weerasooriya added: “Today’s high-end global traveller prefers luxury built around sustainability with reduced carbon footprints and the lowest impact on regional community. This is where Ulagalla continues to be in the forefront of the industry. We use innovative technology and best practices sustainability by the use of organic farming, reverse osmosis water management and solar farms.

“In fact, the solar farm is the most important contributing factor to Ulagalla Resort’s eco-friendly policy. It is one of the largest solar farms in Sri Lanka and supplies over 50% of the hotel’s energy requirement when in full operation. Excess of energy produced by solar farm is given to the national grid.”

Elaborating further on this topic, Weerasooriya stated: “When developing Ulagalla Resort, protecting the surrounding environment took precedence. Not a single tree was cut down, and all construction took place on already utilised land in strict accordance with green policies. In fact, after the construction of the chalets and pathways were done, over 1,000 root-balled trees were planted on the 58-acre land area.”

He added that the chalets were constructed using fire-proof and eco-friendly material that reduce the transmission of sound, which are 100% recyclable and 10 times stronger than dry wall. They are fitted with LED bulbs that reduce the carbon footprint of the resort by 80% while the AC system fitted into each chalet utilises an environmentally friendly gas and the heat recovery system provides the entire requirement of hot water.

“We have also installed water purification plants that will recycle waste-water and rain-water and purify it to use on the plantations. The resort’s waste matter is collected to make compost manure for the fruit and vegetable gardens,” he further added.

The International Hotel Awards has 16 categories and up to three 5-star awards for each category are awarded on a national level before going on to compete on a regional level. In addition to categories for several types of specialty hotels and categories by hotel size, there are also categories for hotel architecture, construction, interior design, marketing and website.

Stuart Shield, President of the International Hotel Awards, said: “The hotels that we have seen coming out of this region will be tough to beat in the International Hotel Awards final in London. It would not be surprising if history were to repeat itself with the Asia Pacific region again crushing their competitors from other corners of the world.”

Uga Escapes also owns Jungle Beach, an eco-friendly luxury boutique hotel in Kuchchaveli, Trincomalee that is set on 10 acres of pristine land located between the Indian Ocean and the jungle. In addition, they also own Uga Bay in Passekudah, a 48-roomed hotel that offers a tropical beach experience.

Uga Escapes is a fully owned subsidiary of the Finco Holdings. Incorporated in 1963, the group comprises several companies recording success in diverse fields. The company owns properties offering a unique eco-beach concept – Jungle Beach Resort, Trincomalee, which opened in July 2012, and UGA Bay, Passekudah, which opened in September 2012.

The International Hotel Awards global competition determines the finest hotels and hospitality companies in the world. They were developed to identify, highlight and reward excellence throughout the global hospitality industry throughout a wide range of areas. In addition to categories for several types of specialty hotels and categories by hotel size, there are also categories for hotel architecture, construction, interior design, marketing and website.

The awards are open to hoteliers, hotel developers and builders, interior designers, architects, public relations and advertising agencies and web designers. The awards are split into regions covering Asia Pacific, Arabia and Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe and UK. Participants enter at their relevant national level and are judged by a highly experienced team of professionals who cover the whole range of hospitality disciplines. Judging is carried out through a meticulous process involving a panel of experts from the hospitality and property industries.