From Seashells to Jetwing Sea

Tuesday, 18 January 2011 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Waves of cheer and sanguinity lapped the Negombo shores last Saturday, as the former Jetwing Seashells tastefully reopened as ‘Jetwing Sea’ under the auspices of the Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa.

By Darshana Abayasingha

The newly-revamped Jetwing Sea is one of the four Jetwing properties situated in Negombo, positioning the premier hotel group to take best advantage of the efforts to transform Negombo into a quality resort hub.

With 83 elegantly appointed rooms, two suites and a spacious restaurant, the transformation at Jetwing Sea epitomises the promise of delivering highest quality and excellence said Hiran Cooray, Chairman – Jetwing Hotels.

The transformation of the once two- to three-star hotel into the designer resort was supported by a US$ 4 million investment by Zinc Journeys of the Chaudary Group of Nepal. Addressing the occasion, its Group Chairman Vinodh Chaudhary said that the climate in Sri Lanka was ideal to explore and grow tourism products and that his company would look towards “sustained involvement in the economic development of Sri Lanka”. The company together with its local partners is exploring similar projects in Hambantota and Trincomalee.

Cooray enthused at the future prospects of Jetwing Sea together with its new partner and remarked that the tourism revival in Sri Lanka was due to the efforts of the Government, by bringing peace and then supporting rapid expansion in investments in the sector and related infrastructure. Now the industry has the opportunity and challenge to deliver, he said.

“To push our tourism product beyond, we have often tried to position Negombo as a prime destination. But this was never easy. There were many who said Negombo had no beach, and what was there was dirty. But now we have a good beach front, we have good tourist products and we have the necessary support from the Government and the authority. They are committed to support the development of tourism in Negombo. This will bode well for us,” Cooray stated.

Jetwing Sea is located close to Jetwing Beach, a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World, and the soon to be launched Jetwing Blue – formerly Jetwing Blue Oceanic, the very first Jetwing venture. The purpose built Ayurveda spa hotel, Jetwing Ayurveda Pavilions, is also located nearby.

Rookmani Fernando is the General Manager at Jetwing Sea. New facilities and little luxuries have been added to uplift standards to be on par with the best, and one showcase is the unique design of the speciality restaurant ‘Lellama,’ which offers contemporary casual dining featuring authentic seafood dishes.

The walk-in wine cellar offers a select collection exclusive to Jetwing Hotels, the airy main restaurant opening out on to the beach, the two luxurious swimming pools, a fully equipped gym and a lavish rooftop spa are all features that impress at the beautifully refreshed entrant to the Jetwing family of hotels, Jetwing Sea.