Heritance Hotels
Heritance Hotels
At Heritance Kandalama, sustainability is not a separate promise. It is part of how the hotel was built, how it operates, and how it continues to engage with the people and environment around it.
Set in the Cultural Triangle of Sri Lanka, Heritance Kandalama has stood for more than 3 decades as a proof point for responsible hospitality within the Aitken Spence Hotels portfolio. Designed by Deshamanya Geoffrey Bawa and built to blend into its natural setting, the hotel occupies only 8 acres of a land area of over 250 acres, leaving more than 240 acres preserved for natural flora and fauna. This surrounding landscape supports rich biodiversity, including 173 bird species, 82 species of butterflies, 43 species of mammals, 21 species of dragonflies, and 8 varieties of frogs and amphibians.
The property’s sustainability story is strengthened by recognised standards and long-term discipline. Heritance Kandalama is ISO 14001:2015 certified and holds the Travelife Gold certification, reflecting its commitment to environmental management, social responsibility, and continual improvement. Its sustainability report also records measurable progress in operations, including reduced electricity consumption per room night, lower diesel consumption, reduced greenhouse gas emissions from boiler diesel usage, decreased water consumption, and a reduction in single-use plastic usage.
Yet the hotel’s impact reaches beyond conservation. Heritance Kandalama has built a strong relationship with its surrounding communities through employment, training, local sourcing, and infrastructure development. The hotel recruits 55% of its workforce from within a 20-kilometre radius, creating direct employment opportunities for nearby villages. Several members of the management team began their careers as trainees when the hotel opened in 1994, showing how hospitality can create long-term career paths rooted in the region.
Community empowerment is also reflected in the Heritance Kandalama School of Hotel Management, which provides practical training in food and beverage service and kitchen operations. The school trains more than 60 school leavers annually, and over 160 local youth have completed the programme, with many moving into employment at Heritance Kandalama or within the wider Aitken Spence Hotels group.
The hotel also contributes to the local economy through sustainable sourcing. Its purchase of Gliricidia wood from nearby villages for use in its gasifier project contributes over LKR 2 million annually to the village economy, supporting local livelihoods while reducing reliance on fossil fuels. Over the years, Heritance Kandalama has also supported community infrastructure, including roads, electricity networks, water supply systems, schools, libraries, and sanitation facilities.
Together, these initiatives show how responsible hospitality can connect environmental stewardship with human progress. At Heritance Kandalama, sustainability is not only seen in the forest, the lake, or the architecture. It is seen in the opportunities created, the communities supported, and the systems built to ensure that travel leaves a positive and lasting impact.
For more information visit: www.heritancehotels.com/kandalama