Jetwing, the Sri Lankan travel company, has launched a new domestic budget hotel brand – Hotel J.
Announcing the new label this week, Jetwing said Hotel J would offer “no frills hotels” that appeal to the “modern traveller”.
The first Hotel J, which is located in the west coast resort town of Negombo, will have 35 air-conditioned rooms and one suite, all featuring Wi-Fi and an in-room safe. Despite being a budget hotel, facilities will includes restaurant, bar and swimming pool. Rates will range from US$35 to US$70 per night on a room only basis.
Hotel J will mark Jetwing’s entrance into the budget accommodation market. But the company’s Chairman, Hiran Cooray, described the economy sector as “the wave of the future”, and said that the market trends in Asian resort destinations are now matching those in Europe and the US.
“The concept popular in the West is fast catching up in locations like Phuket and Bali,” Cooray told the Business Times in a recent interview. “Hotel J Negombo is the first in a planned series, and we hope to continue this concept in other key destinations.”
Jetwing said it chose Negombo for its first budget hotel due to its location, which lies 7km from Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport. “It will therefore be easily accessible to travellers who have just landed in Sri Lanka or are on their way out of the country after an extended holiday,” the company said in a statement.
While this is Jetwing’s first venture in the budget accommodation sector, the company is certainly no stranger to the hotel industry. It already operates 16 Sri Lankan properties under its Jetwing Hotels brand.
