Last weekend, Brunch travelled to the city of Kandy for a brief overnight stay at the Kandyan Arts Residency. Admittedly the timing of our visit was not ideal, considering the fuel crisis, but thankfully the trains were operating uninterrupted and we were able to secure a seat in the observation deck thanks to a reservation made two weeks in advance.
We arrived in Kandy on a Friday morning at a railway station absolutely jam-packed with people trying to avoid having to take a crowded bus, or worse, wait in a fuel queue. Kandy was not immune to the winding fuel queues, although the famous Kandy road traffic was still ever-present.
Fortunately, the Kandyan Arts Residency is conveniently located just over two kilometres from the railway station on the Peradeniya Road, just opposite Kingswood College, and we were able to commute quite easily.
From crafts to residencies
The Kandyan Arts Residency is a well-known establishment in the city of Kandy owing to its interesting origins as the Kandyan Arts and Crafts Industrial Centre. The establishment was started by entrepreneur and philanthropist M.K.R. Thilakaratne, who started his working years as an established craftsperson. He is a winner of the National Award for Quality at the National Crafts Festival from amongst 32 islandwide participants, and has received many accolades for his contribution to traditional crafts, owing to his efforts in upgrading the country’s craft sector by opening the Kandyan Arts and Crafts Industrial Centre 45 years ago.
Thilakaratne was also appointed the Chairman of Handicraft Chamber of the Central Province, followed by being appointed to lead the National Handicraft Chamber as its Chairman. He has also received the Certificate of Excellence while participating at the ‘Partners for Progress’ international craft fair in Berlin. However, just 12 years ago, Thilakaratne, looking to fulfil his family’s passion of operating a hotel, began working towards expanding the services of his establishment, which then eventually transformed into the Kandyan Arts Residency of today.
The Kandyan Arts Residency initially started off as a restaurant, soon becoming a sought-after dining outlet, popularly patronised by both local and foreign visitors. Following this initial success, the property established itself as a fully-fledged residential hotel by adding 13 rooms to its complex, providing its guests with well-appointed comfortable accommodation in addition to its already well-known reputation as a restaurant serving some of the best local cuisine in town.
Bigger and better
In discussion with the property’s General Manager Indika Wijesinghe and Kanchana Thilakaratne, the younger son of M.K.R. Thilakaratne, who is at present a Director of the company spearheading all operational and management aspects of the hotel, we learnt about the current status of the hotel and how it has managed to bounce back from the effects of the pandemic these past few years.
Wijesinghe noted that much of the reestablishing was reliant on their strengths, which included the facilities available within the five-storey hotel complex. He noted that they had two large banquet halls catering to weddings, conferences, and business meetings annually hosted by the corporate sector from all over the country. He added that they once had an impressive repertoire of clients who frequented these services and that they were now in the process of reestablishing those ties and seeing great success in setting up events that utilise these spaces, providing lucrative curated offers.
He also noted that yet another notable highlight was their exclusive wedding packages. Weddings are held in their dedicated hall, the ‘Pahan Piyasa,’ a spacious and air-conditioned banquet hall with all necessary facilities such as the provision of traditional drummers and dancers, doxologies, ceremonial decor, poruwa structure, oil lamp, and so on.
They also provide a fully-equipped business centre, introducing a choice of intimate, upscale conference and meeting facilities at the meeting and banquet space suitable for groups of 10-200 participants in three separate venues within the hotel.
With the growth of these numerous services, the family-run business has expanded its operations with Thilakaratne opening up a second hotel, the Royal Kandyan – a four-star property with 55 rooms equipped with all modern amenities of star class luxury – in the same complex.
Outstanding cuisine
The Kandyan Arts Residency, as one of the more established properties in Kandy, offers all of the basic amenities when it comes to accommodation. However, according to Wijesinghe, their true star is their cuisine.
He noted that the property boasted of a multi-cuisine restaurant and having experienced it ourselves, if you are looking for a meal that satisfies the local palate with some true comfort food, then Kandyan Arts Residency is the place to go. Wijesinghe shared that they had listings on food delivery service providers as well, owing to their popularity amongst both locals and foreign visitors.
The Kandyan Arts Residency sits overlooking Hanthana and Bahirawakanda hills on either side and each room comes with a balcony overlooking the misty green hills. The hotel is also conveniently situated in close vicinity of the Temple of the Tooth Relic and the Royal Botanical Gardens, both of which can be reached within just a few minutes from the hotel premises.
According to the management, the Kandyan Arts Residency is presently in the process of building and adding a further 50 rooms to its cluster and is concentrating on expanding its services to other areas such as an in-house shopping arcade with a wider choice of restaurant and dining facilities and an inbuilt parking area to accommodate its growing clientele.
Art always brings industry with it, and the Kandyan Arts Residency is no exception; despite being located within the city of Kandy, it is still a beautiful respite from the hubbub of Colombo with comfortable accommodation and excellent food.
