The National Geographic Traveller has declared that Sri Lanka is one of the top ten destinations that a tourist should visit in the year 2012. 
It is a timely recognition given the country’s interest in attracting tourists. The National Geographic Traveller also identified six places a tourist should visit when in Sri Lanka: Adam’s Peak (Sri Pada), the Temple of the Tooth, Dambulla Viharaya (cave temple), Kandy Royal Palace, the Grand Hotel in Nuwara Eliya and the Yala Sanctuary. The Grand Hotel is the only resort to specifically be named by the magazine, which described it with the following words “Pristine grounds surround Grand Hotel in Nuwara Eliya” and “The Hotel is an excellent example of an Elizabethan era Manor House”.
The hotel has undergone extensive renovations over the years. 53 bedrooms in the original wing, the entrance, lounges, the banquet hall, the reception area, the Magnolia 
Coffee Shop and the cloak rooms have all been worked on. With the addition of the purpose-built Wine Bar, the Tea Lounge and the terrace have furthered the property’s uniqueness on the round tour circuit.
The national heritage resort has not only improved the interiors, but has also maintained the gardens and environs, for which it received recognition in the form of title awards from the Municipal Council’s “April Blooms” competition for 30 consecutive years.
“This award doesn’t belong to the hotel staff and management. It belongs to Sri Lanka,” said Gerard Ondaatjie, Managing Director – Nuwara Eliya Hotels Company.
