Sayeman Beach Resort
History
In 1964, Sayedur Rahman established a private hotel named "Hotel Sayeman" in Cox's Bazar, East Pakistan. It was the first privately owned hotel in the city. Five years later, in 1969, Mosharraf Hossain, son of the hotel's founder, and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman stayed at this hotel during a trip to Cox's Bazar, and a candlelight dinner was organized in their honor. In independent Bangladesh in 1979, Mosharraf Hossain converted it into a resort with 75 rooms. Later Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana were also guests of this hotel. In 2013 it was announced to build a resort condominium called "Sayeman Heritage Residence" in place of the old hotel and the hotel was shifted from Baharchora to Kolatoli which was renamed as "Sayeman Beach Resort". The new resort was inaugurated on 15 January 2015 in the presence of Rashed Khan Menon, the then minister of civil aviation and tourism.
Features
The Cox's Bazar beach can be seen from most of the rooms of this 288-room resort. There are ocean and deluxe suites, restaurants, swimming pools, bar deck, ballroom and convention hall.
Tax evasion
According to a report published by Income Tax Department in 2021, no income tax return has been submitted by the resort authority for 6 years from 2015. After publication of the report, the authority paid ৳4 million in advance as income tax return. The report also noted that the resort had falsified their income.
Pollution
In 2019, the Environment Department fined the authority ৳50,000 for allegedly dumping polluted water into the sea.
Lawsuit
In 1999, 15 square kilometers of coastal area of Cox's Bazar was legally declared as a protected area for environmental reasons, but the Sayeman Beach Resort authority took the land of the area on lease to build the resort at Kolatoli. In 2019, a lawsuit ruled that the lease was invalid and the resort building was ordered to be demolished.
Award
In 2019, Sayeman Beach Resort won South Asian Travel Awards (SATA) award under leading beach resort category. In an event was held in Sri Lanka, the award was given to Mahboob Rahman, managing director of the resort.
References
- ^ "সায়মন বিচ রিসোর্টের প্রতিষ্ঠাবার্ষিকী উদ্যাপন" [Sayeman Beach Resort celebrates the founding anniversary]. Kaler Kantho (in Bengali). 18 January 2020. Archived from the original on 22 January 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
- ^ Tushar, Rashedul (16 December 2018). "তিন পুরুষের হোটেল ব্যবসা" [Three men's hotel business]. Kaler Kantho (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 18 December 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
- ^ "Hotel Sayeman: Pioneer in beach town tourism". Tbsnews.net. 20 September 2021. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- ^ "Hotel Sayeman launches resort". Bdnews24.com. 11 October 2013. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- ^ "কক্সবাজারে সায়মন বিচ রিসোর্ট" [Sayeman Beach Resort in Cox's Bazar]. Banglanews24.com (in Bengali). 20 January 2015. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- ^ "সায়মন বিচ রিসোর্টে হানিমুন ও শীতের বিশেষ প্যাকেজ" [Honeymoon and winter special packages at Sayeman Beach Resort]. Bangla Tribune (in Bengali). 16 October 2019. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- ^ Masud, Rahman (6 October 2021). "কর দেয় না সায়মন বিচ রিসোর্ট" [Sayeman Beach Resort does not pay taxes]. Newsbangla24.com (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- ^ "DoE fines Sayeman beach resort for polluting environment". Daily Star. 14 October 2019. Archived from the original on 11 May 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- ^ "কক্সবাজার সৈকতে অবৈধ হোটেল-মোটেল ভেঙে ফেলার নির্দেশ" [Order to demolish illegal hotels and motels on Cox's Bazar beach]. Ukhiyanews.com (in Bengali). 24 December 2019. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- ^ "Sayeman Beach Resort wins SATA award". Daily Sun. 27 September 2019. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2022.