Hotel Suisse Explained

Hotel Name:Hotel Suisse
Location:Kandy, Sri Lanka
Address:30 Sangaraja Mawatha, Kandy, Sri Lanka.
Coordinates:7.2884°N 80.6429°W
Operator:Galle Face Hotel Management
Owner:Ceylon Hotels Corporation
Number Of Rooms:83
Number Of Suites:7
Number Of Restaurants:1
Floors:4
Website:http://www.hotelsuisse.lk/

The Hotel Suisse is a heritage hotel located in Kandy, Sri Lanka.

History

The building was originally the residence of Pilimatala Gabada Nilame, the Chief Minister of the Royal Granary, and was built in the 17th century. It was located on Migon Aramba, 'the place where the King’s buffaloes grazed'.[1] Following the Great Rebellion of 1817–18 the building was confiscated by the British in 1818,[2] and given to a British officer, who renamed it Haramby (Aramba) House.[3] In 1846 it became the residence of George Wall, the manager of the Ceylon Plantation Company. In the early 1880s the building was occupied by the Kandy Club.[1] In 1887 the club moved to a building vacated by the Orient Bank, which had gone into liquidation, later became part of the Queen's Hotel.[1] In 1924 the building was acquired by a Swiss lady, Jeanne Louisa Burdayron, who operated it as a guest house[4] before it became a hotel.[5] [6] At one stage the building was also used as a maternity ward for planters' wives.[7] During World War II (between April 1944 and 1945), it was used as the headquarters of the South East Asia Command,[8] under the command of Lord Louis Mountbatten.[9] [10]

In 1951 the government took over the building for use as government offices.[11]

Facilities

The hotel has 90 rooms, including seven suites, a lounge bar and restaurant. It also has an outdoor swimming pool, Ayurvedic centre, sauna and spa.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Kandy and the Kandy Club - [Reminiscences of the Kandy Club]]. The Kandy Club. 3 November 2016.
  2. Book: Kandy, past and present, 1474-1998 A.D.. Nihal Karunaratna. Madhyama Saṃskr̥tika Aramudala. Central Cultural Fund, Ministry of Religious and Cultural Affairs. 1999. 189. 9789556131215.
  3. Book: Ceylon: Its History, People, Commerce, Industries and Resources. Plâté Limited. 1924. 157.
  4. Book: A. Baur & Co. Ltd: 100 Years in Sri Lanka, 1897-1997. A. Baur & Co. Ltd. A. Baur & Company Limited. 1997. 113. 9789559509004.
  5. News: When holidaying here was a genteel affair. The Sunday Times. Royston. Ellis. 5 June 2016. 3 November 2016.
  6. News: Hotel Suisse Grand ole lady in Kandy. Sanath. Weerasuriya. The Sunday Times. 13 June 2010. 3 November 2016.
  7. News: Steeped in history...Hotel Suisse caters to a wide clientele. Jayampathy. Jayasinghe. Sunday Observer. 21 August 2011. 3 November 2016.
    • Book: Woodburn Kirby . Major-General S. . Butler . Sir James . James Ramsay Montagu Butler . History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Military Series . The War Against Japan: The Decisive Battles . III . Naval & Military Press . Uckfield . 2004 . 52 . 1st. pub. HMSO:1961 . 1-84574-062-9.
  8. News: Hotel Suisse adding luxury to the property. 25 August 2011. Daily News. 3 November 2016.
  9. Book: Personal diary of Admiral the Lord Louis Mountbatten, Supreme Allied Commander, South-East Asia, 1943-1946. Mountbatten, Louis. Ziegler, Philip (Ed). 1988. Collins. 99. 9780002176071. registration.
  10. Book: Ceylon Year Book. Department of Census and Statistics. 1951. 275.