Nicky Bin Sadoon an epitome of dynamic excellence

11 March 2015 10:06 am By Shehara Rizly

We dedicate this month to the most inspirational women we come across in our lives. Nicky Bin Sadoon is a Sri Lankan operating an award winning bed and breakfast property overlooking the beautiful Niagara falls in Canada.

Academic foundation

Nicky was born in Galle to a family of three girls and one boy. She was educated at St. Paul’s Milagiriya, Colombo 4 and thereafter at Ringwood High School, Melbourne Australia where she majored in Hospitality Management. She returned and worked at the Hilton Colombo as Assistant Banquet Manager specialising in the Muslim wedding market.

Setting up her life

Nicky’s semi fairy tale marriage took place 25 years ago when she married Bin Sadoon from Kandy. They have two children; her son Cubby is 21, a final year student of Brock University in Canada where he will be graduating in Medical Sciences in June 2015 and hopes to major in Oncology. Their daughter Aaliah is 14 and is a high school student at Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School in Canada. Her husband is a passionate hotelier and works for Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide and is presently employed as the Director of Front Office for Westin Harbour Castle Hotel in Toronto. When she was proposed to her husband, he was working for Trust House Forte Hotels in Bahrain, immediately after their marriage they moved to Abu Dhabi, UAE. Then Nicky changed her career from hotels to the banking sector and worked for the National Bank of Fujairah in Abu Dhabi and later was transferred to the Dubai branch, when her husband moved to the Jumeirah Group as the Director of Rooms for the Jumeriah Beach Hotel. While in Abu Dhabi, she joined the National Bank of Fujairah as the Credit Department Secretary and worked in that bank for well over five years. Although hospitality was her forte, banking gave her a great start to open her own business.

Living and working in Canada

It was a choice that they made due to their kids’ education and the fact that their immediate family live in Palm Springs in California and Scottsdale in Arizona so it was due to the close proximity. We asked Nicky to share with us about her award winning property. “I take pride in operating an award winning bed and breakfast in Niagara on the Lake known as “Graystone Bed and Breakfast.” Our property is in the Niagara region and in a historical town known as Niagara on the Lake which is well known for the innumerable local Niagara wineries and the Bernard Shaw Theatre Productions. This quaint little town was one time Canada’s first capital and also known as Canada’s prettiest town. The quaint little town is famous for unique trinkets that are not found anywhere else in the world, fine dining authentic gourmet restaurants, vintage wines and the theatrical productions at the Shaw Festival Theatre and is a famous tourist town. We started this business in 2004 and have built a great reputation within Canada and the USA. Amongst the many accolades we were awarded the World’s Top 10 Bed and Breakfast by Bed and Breakfast.com, a company based in Houston, Texas, and then Canada’s Top 10 Bed and Breakfast award thereafter. We also won the best Bed and Breakfast Award in Canada in 2013. We have won many awards by Trip Advisor.com as well. Our business is mainly comprised of repeat clientele whom we have nurtured and fostered over the years. Customer Care is my top priority over the years of hospitality experience, and has been the impetus to reach the top. At present we are ranked in the Top 10 Bed and Breakfast for Niagara on the Lake by Trip Advisor.com.” Challenges as a woman to start her own business Canada is a land of opportunities.It is not a bed of roses but Canada has provided them the tools to grow them! There is no segregation between men and women and all are treated equally. Nicky reiterated, “We are blessed to live in Canada and are proud to be citizens in our adopted home although I must confess I prefer to be away during the winter months.”

Hobbies and pastimes

Nicky and the family love to travel, they have been to many countries around the world and her favourite destination is Switzerland. They spent a month in Europe touring. They have taken many road trips in North America and their favourite one was their trip from Niagara on the Lake to Palm Springs, California which was approximately 10,000 kilo meters. Before they migrated to Canada they travelled to many places in Asia and Singapore was her favourite country in Asia. Apart from that Nicky loves to hike, bake and of course to be around her family as much as possible. As both of them are busy with their different professions, every minute with their kids is quality time.

Advice to those who aspires to be entrepreneur

“Begin with the end in mind to quote Steven Covey, and if you want to achieve something reach out for it. Dream a lot whether it is big or small and to achieve this you have to work hard and you will succed.”