Elephant Reach Hotel, Yala, earned top honours as Lonely Planet Magazine, India’s "Best Wildlife Resort (International)", 2015.

Adding to the honour of winning such a prestigious award, Elephant Reach also became the first Sri Lankan hotel to be recognised by an international travel forum.

Elephant Reach Crowned "Best Wildlife Resort" by Lonely Planet Magazine 

Although, the hotel has always catered to the whims of even the most discerning traveller with its world-class service levels, this award came as a pleasant surprise, as all the winners were kept in the dark about the awards throughout.

 Elephant Reach Crowned "Best Wildlife Resort" 

Vardhan Kondvikar, Editor of Lonely Planet Magazine India, said, “The LPMI Travel Awards has been firmly established as the industry-best measure of what travellers love.  We began with a strong list of nominees selected by industry-wide travel experts from premier travel facilitators, which were then voted on by Lonely Planet Magazine’s army of well-informed readers.”

   The Chairman of  Lanka Hotels & Resorts (Pvt) Ltd, Mr .Clemon Fernando welcoming Hon. John Ameratunga , The Minister for Tourism Development and Christian Affairs 

The selection criteria set forth by Lonely Planet is thorough and the judging panel spared no expense or effort in ensuring that the most stringent quality standards were adhered to by the winners. As a result of the thorough and discreet nature of the judging process, none of the nominees knew of the competition until the winners were officially announced. Feedback from travellers and guests at the hotels played a pivotal role in the decision making process.

The Minister for Tourism Development and Christian Affairs Hon. John Ameratunga , the Chairman of  Lanka Hotels & Resorts (Pvt) Ltd,– Mr .Clemon Fernando and Managing Director of  Lanka Hotels & Resorts (Pvt) Ltd Mr. Malinga Fernando

Malinga Fernando, Managing Director of Elephant Reach Hotel, was emphatic about the win. He stated, "We have always been confident of our service levels thanks to our continued focus on training and motivating our team and also the feedback we obtain from our guests. Our repeat clients bear testament to what is to be expected from Elephant Reach. We're especially proud of the fact that we are the first Sri Lankan hotel to be bestowed with such an honour." 

Managing Director of  Lanka Hotels & Resorts (Pvt) Ltd Mr. Malinga Fernando speaking to the audience

Lonely Planet Magazine, headquartered in India, has cemented its place as a truly international authority on travel. The LPMI Awards has been held by Lonely Planet Magazine for the fourth successful year where travellers themselves vote for their favourite destinations and hotels. The winners were selected from the nominations by a panel of travel experts and professionals. This panel comprised of Lonely Planet Magazine Editor Vardhan Kondvikar; Veena Patil, Managing Director, Veena World; Manu Kashyap, Director, Windmill Holidays; Sucheta Potnis and Hans Tuinman, Founders, Travellers-palm.com; Madhavan Menon, Managing Director, Thomas Cook India Ltd; and Deep Kalra, CEO, Makemytrip.com. The award ceremony, powered by Flight Shop, was held at the JW Marriott Hotel Mumbai Sahar to felicitate 32 favourite travel experiences.

The Minister for Tourism Development and Christian Affairs Hon. John Ameratunga addressing the crowd

Elephant Reach Hotel, Yala, extends its sincerest gratitude to all clients who made the hotel a part of their travel experience. This is only the beginning and the Elephant Reach team will continue to raise the bar in world-class accommodation and service. 

General Manager of Elephant Reach Hotel Mr.Nilantha Rupasinghe , Managing Director of  Lanka Hotels & Resorts (Pvt) Ltd Mr. Malinga Fernando, Manager Sales and marketing of  Lanka Hotels & Resorts (Pvt) Ltd Mr. Tharidu Gamagedara and Manager Lanka Leisure travel Mr:Mahesh Mallawarachchi