We thank the reviewer for praising the location and the massage. Our response to the reviewers adverse comments are given below

1. Stayed in lower category suite, but had to accept original higher rate.

January and February which correspond with the European winter are our busiest months. Demand for rooms is very high and on the supply-demand principle our rates are equally high. Almost every hotel in the world has rules/practices governing cancellations and amendments. On arrival reviewer was not happy with the room booked and requested a superior room which we obliged after explaining our rules/practices.

If the reviewer had not booked the suite with a pool we could have sold it to another who requested the same category of suite. In addition we released a superior suite to the reviewer by offering a free upgrade to another guest. In the circumstances we could not make any concessions and the reviewer had to honour the original contract with us. The reviewer was adviced accordingly prior to the room change which he accepted.

2. Soliciting tips

The reviewer has commented on staff and hired entertainers indirectly soliciting tips in 4 paragraphs of his review. The reviewer’s specific comments in this regard are:

(a) “they waited long long time to be honoured for their service”
(b) “we had the feeling that staff were looking for any opportunity to get extra payments and
tips”

(c) “the staff will do your bed or your bathroom five times a day – if they get the opportunity.
This could be taken as a sign of explicit service – contrary we had the feeling that staff where
seeking more tips”

(d) “it is expected you honour the dancers with dollars”

Any one reading the reviewers comments will understand that the reviewer is simply expressing his feelings and beliefs and are not based on any facts.

The houseman who carried the bags may have stayed there for a few seconds, but not long long time which the reviewer has interpreted as soliciting tips.

In (b) and (c) above the reviewer expresses his feelings which are not based on any facts. We leave it to those who read this reply to decide whether it is morally correct to make allegations against innocent staff based on feelings.

Dancers who are hired by us for the evening, perform in a designated area away from diners and cannot go from table to table. In the circumstances we cannot understand how the reviewer assumed that they “expected dollars”.

Soliciting tips by anyone directly or indirectly is strictly prohibited according to information provided in suites for the benefit of guests.

3. “We would expect Saman Villas to pay servants enough money so that they don’t have to beg from guests”

The reviewer has attempted to insult and demean our staff by calling them servants. No, we don’t have servants. A servant is a person employed in a house on domestic duties. We employ mostly professionals who either have received training out side or trained by us in-house. Every year during the off-season we train our staff and for this purpose we have a purpose-built tiered lecture hall across the road with audio visual equipment.

The visitor has attempted to downgrade our staff to beggars. We employ staff according to the best labour standards and human rights, treating them as individuals. Our staff are amongst the highest paid in the industry and they don’t beg from guests.

4. “We felt that the staff in general are non-professionals hired locally – a nice idea – but if you expect the best a very fatal decision”

The reviewer is correct when he says the staff are hired locally – they are all Sri Lankans and they match up to foreign staff. In fact Sri Lanka provides a large number of staff at all levels to top five star hotels in the Middle East, Maldives and some other countries world wide.

As already explained our staff are professionals. Reviewer’s comments in this regard are not based on facts, but may be his imagination.

5. “Staff will do your bed or your bathroom five times a day – if they get the opportunity”

Yes, if guests request, for special reasons, we provide that service and not otherwise. Staff clean the rooms twice daily in the morning and evening. They do not have time to clean the rooms five times a day specially when the hotel is nearly full, specially during reviewers stay when occupancy was 82%. The staff visiting times are recorded and are monitored daily by the Executive Housekeeper and in his absence by the Supervisor.

6. A Monkey and a Scorpion

One thing every visitor agree is that the location is fantastic. Factors contributing to this are – remoteness of the location, tropical jungle, coconut plantation, rocky promontory and the stunning views. 99.99% of our guests love this place and they are willing to compromise on certain features associated with tropical vegetation such as insects, crawlers, squirrels, monkeys, etc. Remove the vegetation and you will have a bare rock free of animals – no longer a fantastic location. Only those who love living in a concrete jungle will be happy in such a location when on holiday.

Any visitor to Sri Lanka, other than the central parts of the city of Colombo will experience a variety of animals such as insects, crawlers, squirrels, monkeys, lizards, etc. In central Kandy, Sri Lanka’s second largest city monkeys are regular visitors to bedroom balconies/verandahs in some hotels.

At Saman Villas a batch of monkeys is sighted a few times a year. On this occasion we were aware of their presence and were lighting crackers to frighten them away. They visit open air bathrooms when they are unoccupied and damage the flower vases. Same happened in reviewer’s bathroom , only once.

A tiny scorpion was found on the wall of the reviewer’s bedroom. On hearing from the reviewer it was promptly removed. The tiny scorpion may have been carried away due to a gust of wind to the balcony or open air bathroom and may have crawled into the bedroom. There is nothing to get alarmed of. Scorpions don’t attack people.

7. Food is fair but over charged

Over 95% of our guests consider our food to be good or excellent. Our prices are reasonable when one considers quality and safety we offer. Our kitchen is ISO 22000 certified for food safety, probably the only boutique hotel in Sri Lanka to receive the certification.

8. Local dance arrangement on Fridays are so loud

Yes, it is true because they play Sri Lankan drums. We organize this for the benefit of our guests so that they can experience traditional Kandyan and low country dance forms without having to venture out incurring additional expenses. No guests have ever complained about any aspect of the performance. However, we have taken the comments seriously and from next week the performance has been advanced to start 30 minutes before dinner. We thank the reviewer for his observation.

9. Massage is fantastic ! but only until they know you are going home – then they take out parts of the programme

Once again we thank the reviewer for praising our therapists for the massage.

The reviewer and his partner had the following treatments

(a) Tranquility – 1 hour 25 minutes
(b) Energizer – 1 hour 10 minutes

In all treatments there is a certain ritual to be followed at the beginning such as the welcome foot bath which is done before entering the treatment room. Apart from this there is no interruption whatsoever. All treatments are strictly according to pre-designed programmes and the fact that guest is going home is not a reason for changing the treatment. Once again guests are expressing what they felt and thought.

Generally a therapist does 1 to 3 treatments a day and by no means are they overworked. Once again the reviewer has based his comments on incorrect assumptions.

10. Don’t use Saman Villas own website for booking. You can get more than 30% rebate using others.

That is simply impossible unless they are offering below cost and at a loss. Tour Operators and Travel Agents are given discounts by us, as otherwise they will not sell the hotel. With that discount they have to cover their selling expenses, overheads and also make a profit. It is true their rates can be lower than ours sometimes, if they keep a lower profit margin. Our rates may appear high, but not if you consider time based discounts and complimentary transfers. We try to keep our rates competitive, not cheaper. We encourage as many travel agents, tour operators and booking engines to sell Saman Villas at competitive rates so that our visitors have a wide choice to select from.

The hotel offers room only. Breakfast and dinner are offered at concessionary rates.

We don’t ask our prospective visitors to book with us. We want them to search the internet and select the cheapest package.

11. Few questions regarding the specification to the manager and his reaction was to laugh us in the face.

Only question we are aware of is that the guest disputed the charge of 10% service charge. It was explained to him that all hotels charge 10% and that the reservation confirmation sent to him has specified 10% service charge. The reviewer was to check this with the next hotel in his itinerary in Sri Lanka and call us. We did not hear from the reviewer.

We deny that the Front Office Manager or his assistant laughed him in the face as alleged. When they speak to guests all Front Office staff are required to show a smiling face and that may have been misunderstood by the reviewer.