Cumaraswamy marks 50 years in laundry and dry-cleaning industry

Sri Lanka’s

Amaranath Cumaraswamy is completing 50 years of service in the laundry and dry-cleaning field in Sri Lanka. He started his career 50 years ago (1973) in the Laundry Department at the first five-star hotel in Sri Lanka, the Ceylon InterContinental Hotel.

There he had the opportunity to work in the first fully automated professional laundry and dry cleaning plant in Sri Lanka. Trained under Xavier Salhani, an Italian who was the director for Laundry and dry cleaning for Asian Pacific for InterContinental Hotel, he was also trained in all aspects connected with professional laundry and dry cleaning work, Mr. Cumaraswamy said in a media release.

In 1976 he was transferred to Riyadh InterContinental Hotel in Saudi Arabia and in 1978 joined the Ramada Hotel Chain as laundry manager and served for 12 years in Abu Dhabi, Jabel Dhanna and Dubai. In 1988 he returned to Sri Lanka and joined the than Ramada Renaissance Hotel Colombo (currently Cinnamon Lakeside ) as Laundry manager There he was responsible in opening of the Drive-in Laundry Counter, Creases and Pleats, and today it is the best professional laundry and dry cleaning service outlet in town.

After a long stint in the industry at both local and international hotels, he retired in 2008 and in 2009 he joined Sri Lankan Catering as Management Consultant for laundry and dry cleaning.

After completing his consultancy agreement with Sri Lankan Catering in 2012, he joined the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management, formerly known as Ceylon Hotel School, as Laundry Manager/ Lecturer.

Mr. Cumaraswamy has trained over 400 staff in this field. Some of them are working as laundry managers in Sri Lanka, West Asia and the Maldives for five-star hotel chains and commercial laundries.