“Mirissa’s tumult nightlife is scaring guests away”: Hotelier

Text and pix P.D. DE SILVA

“Mirissa’s tumult night life filled with blaring DJ music, booze, drugs, sex and brawls are scaring visitors away,” complained Mirissa’s pioneer hotelier Ananda Jayadewa when interviewed a few days ago. “The numerous complaints made to the authorities including the decision makers have had no effect,” he added.

“In my opinion people with scant knowledge about the hospitality trade have entered the business and are root cause for all the above. With more and more guests complaining of sleepless nights due to the thunderous DJ music emanating from beach parties the number of bookings we receive is on the decline. Many guests have cut short their stay and checked out due to this. Read these and you will understand,” he said passing a thick file containing complaints made by guests.

On 18 February, Naomie Fortin a Canadian visitor made the following complaint: ‘We were staying at Paradise Beach Club Room 101 and could not sleep because there was loud music last night and early morning coming from two bars on each side of the hotel (and all day on the 18th). S. Bradon a visitor from England who occupied Room 601 on the same day had written: ‘The continuous thudding noise from the club next door is an outrage in this beautiful Sri Lankan landscape. It has given me a headache and made me feel miserable. It will ruin all the hotel business in the area. I will be warning the tour operator to avoid Mirissa’.

The sexual harassment and assault of the Dutch tourists a few days ago is not the first incident that occurred in Mirissa. According to Jayadewa most incidents go unreported as guests do not want to disrupt their itinerary as well as spend time at the police stations and possibly at the courthouse.

“In the past, Mirissa was a holiday destination where guests could wade in to the water and bask on the beach in peace without being bothered by touts or vendors and sleep at night in peace. Today things are different and if no action is taken to arrest this trend Mirissa will only attract the few who relish bawdy nightlife, booze, sex and brawls,” he added.

“I ventured into the hospitality business with a two roomed establishment 35 years ago. From the very first day my guests were my most valuable asset and I protected them within and outside the hotel premises like my family,” said Jayadewa. As a result of this pioneer hotelier’s commitment to the trade today he owns two properties in Mirissa namely the three- star Paradise Beach Club and Palace Hotel which have almost 60 rooms.