During the exciting ceremony, laurels were awarded to Mr Joseph Benadic of Laya Beach, Wadduwa, Mr Kasun Sampath of Laya Leisure at Kukuleganga, Mr Susantha Bamunusinghe of Laya Safari at Yala and Corporal W. K. Santha of Laya Waves in Kalkudah as the four Best Talented employees, selected from each hotel of the Laya chain.
Mr Susantha Bamunusinghe of Laya Safari at Yala was adjudged the Best of the Best employee in Laya chain of Hotels, out of the nominees in the best category. Commander of the Army gave away laurels to the best of the best employees.
The awards night, dubbed as ‘Laya Jayagrahi Nawa Mawathaka’, mooted by the chain’s Chief Executive Officer, Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe, has invited Mr. Srilal Miththapala, former Chairman of the Tourist Hotel Association of Sri Lanka who is also the Guest of Honour at the event to deliver the keynote address.
The event, to be held every year recognizes the outstanding service commitments of the staff at all four Laya chain hotels and mirrors the exceptional contribution, being made by the Sri Lanka Army towards the hospitality industry and Sri Lanka’s thriving tourism in general.
Laya Chain of Hotels came into being with the establishment of the popular ‘Wadduwa Holiday Resort’ on 5 April 1991, initially meant to cater exclusively to the welfare of war heroes but it was later rebranded as Laya Beach on 8 November 2012, together with three other eco-friendly Army-owned tourist resorts, Laya Leisure at Kukuleganga, Laya Safari at Yala and Laya Waves in Kalkudah as the Directorate of Welfare in the Army thought it fit and proper to open these four idyllic locations to both local and international tourists at large.
With a unique brand of hospitality, the Laya chain of hotels with its seaside resorts at Wadduwa, Yala and Kalkudah and the green eco-friendly Kukuleganga Laya Leisure provides the state-of-the-art unparalleled service to their customers, creating long lasting memories and unforgettable experiences among visitors to those hotels.
Inspired by the Sanskrit word, Laya which evocatively suggests ‘repose’ that aura of tranquility is what the world of Laya offers to its visitors since at Laya one ‘Reposes, Renews and Rejoices’ at best with a variety of unforgettable memories.
The annual Laya awards ceremony, ‘Laya Jayagrahi Nawa Mawathaka’ is the Army’s way of expressing its appreciation to the head office and hotel teams who have dedicated their efforts to make Sri Lanka’s hospitality industry a resounding success.
