Jetwing Lagoon victorious at THASL Green Hotel Awards 2014

In an unprecedented display of achievement and commitment, Jetwing dominated the THASL (The Hotels Association of Sri Lanka) Green Hotels Awards 2014, with Bawa masterpiece Jetwing Lagoon picking up three of four awards in the Large Hotels and Boutique Hotels category, along with Jetwing Yala, Jetwing Sea and Jetwing Vil Uyana receiving other accolades.
Organised for the first time by the THASL affiliated to The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce to recognise the enhanced environmental performance of the hotels to encourage implementation of sustainable practices in the hotel industry in Sri Lanka, the competition is a continuation of the ‘greening hotel’ award scheme initiated by the EU sponsored Greening Sri Lanka Hotels program (EU – SWITCH Asia Greening Hotels Awards).
Applicants were judged on a variety of criteria: their commitment to sustainability, implementation of best sustainable practices in energy, water and waste management, customer engagement in sustainable practices, any other sustainability initiatives, along with new interventions year on year to improve current practices.
Sri Lanka’s first resort, Jetwing Lagoon emerged miles ahead of the competition, thanks to a thorough and consistently monitored plan implemented from the beginning of its renovation in 2011.
Utilising the highest standards in technology along with simple practices such as the country’s first vapour absorption chiller (in the hotel sector) powered by steam generated via the biomass boiler for air-conditioning, along with 100% LED lighting and the novel and innovative AgroNova machine – used for enhanced composting, Jetwing Lagoon was given the accolades for Energy Conservation Champion, Waste Conservation Champion, and the crown itself: Best Green Hotel for 2014 in the Large and Boutique Hotels category.
In addition, Jetwing Yala – home to the largest privately owned solar park in the country and currently supplying 40% of the hotel’s electricity demand, was adjudged the Best New Emerging Green Hotel in the Large Hotels and Boutique Hotels category, along with a Certificate of Merit for Energy and Water Conservation and Waste Management under the same category; an achievement shared with Jetwing Sea and Jetwing Vil Uyana.
Speaking about the victory, Jetwing Chairman Hiran Cooray praised the efforts of the engineering team, along with the dedication to consistent practice demonstrated by the associates of Jetwing. “From the day we opened our doors in 1973, we have practiced a simple philosophy – we have one Sri Lanka, and only one. This was long before words such as ‘sustainability’ and ‘environment friendly’ were used, but the principle remains the same. Anything we do has to benefit the communities around us, and to reduce negative impact as much as possible. I am extremely proud of our engineering team and all our associates at our hotels – particularly Jetwing Lagoon, a relatively young hotel, for winning such a prestigious award,” he said.