# 39 Hillton Hotel, Arugam Bay is situated between #38 Cafe del Mar and
#40 Hello Madam, on the sea side of the main road.
#39 Hillton Hotel has its own web site:
www.arugambay.lk
Formerly known as “The Hilton” the extra “L” may have been added to avoid confusion or international law suits from the somewhat greater chain of Hotels.
The owner is Mr. Rahim, an ambitious former rotti shop manager from nearby PottuVille.
Mr. Rahim worked himself up in life very well, making the best of any chance offered to him.
This may have been with the help of some good business partners.
The result is a fine, strong concrete building facing sideways towards the open ocean.
This design feature saved the structure from serious damage in 2004.
A fine court-yard restaurant exists, which has been popular with many NGO’s.
A further notable feature are the popular eco tours the Hillton offers.
These canoe trips explore and explain interesting mangrove shores of the PottuVille lagoon.
Compliments to Mercy Corps, Mr. Rahim also is the President of the local Tourist Association and he managed to remain friendly and in close contact with all other organizations.
Dont go to the HILTON HOTEL in Arugam Bay!!! They tell you, you have to eat there the breakfast, the lunch, and the dinner! If not, they cancel your room! And if you want to eat there, the food is not good, and expensive! Just stupid and unfriendly owner and his stuff
The same happened to me, Martin!
It is silly to notice just how shortsighted these local guys are.
Now the Hillton owners also own or run the (formerly) very popular ‘Sooriya‘ at Arugam Bay.
I used to love Ram‘s food and wouldn‘t mind staying and eating there - but I think I changed my mind now.
John from England
… but who is Ram? Is it the stupid owner of Hilton?
The owner of the Arugam Bay Hillton Hotel is Mr. Rahim.
The young man is a well spoken and very ambitious local, who has continuously worked himself up from a simple rotti shop operator to hotel owner and self appointed chairman of the newly formed Arugam Bay Tourist Association.
He wishes to be known as the “President” of the Bay and stresses that Arugam Bay is a Muslim village.
He is abroad quite a lot these days trying to promote the Bay and/ or his hotel.
Mr. ‘Ram’ Sooriya ownes and operates (again!) his popular hotel opposite the Hillton.
He is a Tamil of long, good standing in the Bay and very popular.
The two ‘Guru’ brothers are subject to the well selling book: “Crocodile Rock” by Claudia Ackermann.
For a time, Ram set his sights to emigrate to Hawaii, to join his brother, and the Sooriya Hotel was leased to the President’s family.