Newburgh Ella, The Tea Factory Resort by Browns Hotels & Resorts, has been recognised by the National Cleaner Production Centre (NCPC), Sri Lanka, as the country’s first hotel to achieve certified paperless operations.
The recognition marks a notable step towards more resource-efficient and digitally enabled practices within Sri Lanka’s hospitality industry. The certification was formally presented by NCPC Director General and CEO Samantha Kumarasena to Browns Hotels & Resorts CEO Eksath Wijeratne.
The achievement holds particular significance for Newburgh Ella, a 41-room resort located within a former tea factory dating back to 1903. The historic property, which once relied on handwritten ledgers, registers and paper documentation to record the movement of tea, now operates with digital systems across its guest services and internal operations.
Newburgh Ella’s paperless model extends beyond initiatives such as digital menus and electronic check-in. The resort has digitised processes across multiple departments, creating an interconnected system through which information, approvals, monitoring and documentation can be managed electronically.
Guests can complete their registration digitally, access dining menus electronically and receive bills and folios without printed documents. Within finance and administration, approvals, records and other documentation are handled through digital platforms, reducing reliance on physical files and paper-based circulation.
Digital systems are also used across the resort’s operational functions. Engineering teams can monitor areas such as electricity consumption electronically, enabling usage data to be recorded and reviewed more efficiently. In the kitchen, chefs record temperature checks digitally, providing accessible records for food safety monitoring and audit requirements.
Housekeeping teams use digital devices to manage and document their daily activities, while stores and inventory operations have also been systemised. This enables stock movements and related records to be maintained electronically instead of through multiple physical registers.
The digital systems also support routine compliance and audit processes. With operational information maintained within structured platforms, staff can retrieve records when required without relying on physical files, while managers can monitor activities and maintain documentation in a more consistent and traceable manner.
Browns Hotels & Resorts CEO Eksath Wijeratne said the development reflects the resort’s approach to preserving the heritage of the property while using modern technology to improve its operations.
“Newburgh Ella was created to give a historic property a new chapter without losing what makes it special. The paperless operation is part of that thinking. We have looked at the way a hotel works, from the guest journey to the back office and challenged ourselves to remove the unnecessary paper wherever technology allows us to do so. Having this work recognised by the NCPC is an important milestone for Browns Hotels & Resorts,” he said.
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