TripAdvisor awards 17 Jetwing Hotel properties
Family-owned and in the tourism industry for the past 49 years, Jetwing Hotels has surpassed expectations in every aspect. Building on their foundation of being passionate, as well as the experience of traditional Sri Lankan hospitality, Jetwing has pioneered several discoveries that capture the essence of the brand.
Such a strong statement and direction have enabled Jetwing Hotels to be recognised by TripAdvisor as a 2022 Travellers’ Choice award winner for 17 of its hotels and villas across its portfolio, garnering the highest number of honours in Sri Lanka.
Brunch reached out to Jetwing Chairman Hiran Cooray to learn more about this achievement and find out what it means for Jetwing in the coming months.
Cooray told us that Jetwing Colombo Seven, Jetwing Lake, Jetwing Lighthouse, Jetwing Jaffna, Jetwing Kandy Gallery, Jetwing Sea, Jetwing Lagoon, Jetwing St. Andrew’s, Jetwing Surf, Jetwing Vil Uyana, Jetwing Kaduruketha, Jetwing Yala, Jetwing Kurulubedda, Calamansi Cove Villas by Jetwing, Saman Villas, and Hotel J Unawatuna have all been recognised for their excellent service by TripAdvisor travellers.
“We take a lot of pride in providing the best of Sri Lankan hospitality – that is our motto. We are honoured to provide legendary service to our customers,” Cooray told us, when asked about his thoughts on this award. He added that at Jetwing, they try their best to stay true to their motto and also work on being a sustainable company.
“We like to imagine, create, and manage marvels and masterpieces, where distinctive design and elegant comfort complement each other and the environment,” he stated. On the topic, he also informed us that in line with the Jetwing Hotels’ Sustainable Strategy, sustainable and responsible practices are given precedence with resource efficiency, community upliftment and education, and awareness being some of their key focus areas across all properties.
Cooray noted that their customers are the ones that make such an achievement possible by voting for Jetwing, adding: “We are incredibly grateful to our guests who voted most of our hotels into the top 25 list on TripAdvisor.” He further extended his gratitude towards their associates who continue to provide legendary service.
Mermaid Hotel and Club is also among the Top 10 of TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice All-Inclusive Resorts in Asia for the fifth consecutive year. Placing eighth on the list, the all-inclusive resort, nestled on the sunny southern coastline of Sri Lanka, aims to be the ultimate tropical retreat. With excellent amenities and authentic Sri Lankan hospitality, the property deserves its spot in the top 1% of hotels worldwide.
In a statement, TripAdvisor Chief Commercial Officer Kanika Soni congratulated the 2022 TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best Winners – Jetwing. Sharing a few words on the prestige of this award, Soni wrote: “The Travellers’ Choice Awards recognise the best in tourism and hospitality, according to those who matter most: your guests. Ranking among the Best of the Best is always tough – but never more so than this year as we emerge from the pandemic.”
Soni had further stated that whether it’s using new technology, implementing safety measures, or hiring outstanding staff, she is impressed by the steps Jetwing has taken to meet travellers’ new demands, commending the chain on how they have adapted brilliantly in the face of adversity.
Commenting on this achievement, Jetwing Hotels Marketing Manager Hashan Cooray stated: “We are extremely grateful to our guests for sharing their experiences on TripAdvisor, which allowed us to receive this honour.” He informed us that this further strengthens Jetwing’s position as the premier hospitality brand in Sri Lanka and has motivated their teams to continue creating magical and memorable experiences for our guests during these challenging times.
When asked how they plan to uphold this standard that they have set and achieved for themselves, Hiran Cooray quipped that all one can do is pray. “We can only pray that the travel advisories against Sri Lanka will be lifted and that people will have gas and petroleum,” he said, explaining that without all that, we are not going to see much development.
“Once there is more stability in the country, we will see more tourists come in,” he added. According to Hiran Cooray, tourism is one thing that can work towards providing some much-needed dollars to import essential items. “For this to happen, there has to be stability. There cannot be mile-long queues for gas and petrol. Tourism will contribute to eradicating some of the pressure citizens are facing while trying to survive,” he noted.
Given the situation, Hashan Cooray explained that they have no plans on expanding their properties. With that said, he revealed that they recently took over the management of a new villa in Nuwara Eliya that is now known as Broomfield by Jetwing. “We hope in another year, this property too will be eligible to win these awards,” he added.
Both Hiran and Hashan told us that Jetwing will continue to train their staff and keep them motivated as much as possible during these difficult times as they are confident that the industry will recover. Hashan added that before the latest few incidents, it seemed that tourism was picking up after Covid-19 during the months of February and March and business was booming.
“We believe that in the next few months, the situation will turn around again and we are expecting a very good winter season this year,” Hashan told us, adding that they are gearing up for that. They have not stopped their recruitment process or training programmes yet as they believe tourism will pick up and are preparing for what they expect to be a storm of travellers that will be coming to Sri Lanka in the next few months.
