Jaffna is a beautiful city in the north of Sri Lanka that is home to a large part of the Tamil community in the island. Many former residents of the area have returned for resettlement following the end of a long civil conflict and Jaffna is undergoing large-scale development and rejuvenation.
In this vein, it is extremely fitting that a new Boutique Hotel in Jaffna, The Thinnai, has taken an admirable step in the right direction. The hotel has engaged the services of a talented designer to develop unique designs for them using a range of locally available materials. These designs are being made by the local skilled artisans of the North for the Semman brand.
Fittingly, ‘Semman’ is the Tamil word for the red soil that characterizes Jaffna, and so, aims to promote products that are unique to the area showcasing its cultural values and resilient disposition.
Purchasing Semman products is easy. The hotel has its own retail outlet on Solai Veethi to purchase Semman products within its premises. Furthermore, the hotel will very shortly launch the Semman website, where one can browse through a range of products. By purchasing these products both Sri Lankans and overseas customers will be encouraging self-employment and uplifting the lives of the local artisan community living in the Northern Province.
It truly is a wonderful community service venture by the All-Suite Boutique Hotel that only recently opened its doors to the public. Each time a visitor stays at The Thinnai, it is an affirmation that they support the many exceptional ventures of the hotel. The hotel is more than what its tagline ‘Rest, Relax, Reunite’ advocates; it is also about generosity of spirit- something very difficult to capture in a single tagline.