Chaaya Blu Trincomalee opens

First four-star resort in Eastern Province :Book your hotel here

Just a few months after the Government unveiled a massive tourism development project for the east, the John Keells Hotels Group has opened the first resort that conforms to four-star standards on the East Coast, adding a new dimension to tourism in that part of the country.

John Keells Holdings Deputy Chairman Ajit Gunewardene and officials at the opening

Chaaya Blu Trincomalee is the first sizeable investment seen on the East Coast and will meet the demand for quality accommodation with the increasing inflow of tourists into that area.
With the onset of peace, John Keells Hotels group has now taken a pioneering stance as stated by Executive Vice President Jayantissa Kehelpannala.
"We take pride in launching a resort of the calibre of Chaaya Blu, a first of its kind on the East Coast, within a year of gaining peace in Sri Lanka.
"It was a much rewarding challenge, given that we can now offer our guests the opportunity to discover and savour all that is truly unique to the East Coast while staying amidst star class comforts."
The project, one of the first investment decisions taken by John Keells upon the dawn of peace in May last year, was put into play almost soon after, as the industry itself had previously been restrained in investing in East Coast tourism.
"With Chaaya Blu Trincomalee we continue to be tourism trendsetters," John Keells Holdings Deputy Chairman Ajit Gunewardene said.
"It is not merely with pride but also with a sense of responsibility that we believe the success of this launch will create confidence towards attracting more tourism development on the East Coast."
With over three decades experience in the tourism industry, JKH, an undisputed industry leader in the hospitality industry has added fillip to an area of the country which has for long not had much development given the constraints it faced.
"And with the dawn of peace and the realisation that there was a dearth of a resort conforming to international standards in Trincomalee, we made a decision to quickly cement our presence on the east coast."
Chaaya Blu, will, through its contemporary architecture, features and facilities, add a new dynamic to Sri Lankan resorts as a whole.
This 70s property now revamped as a stylish retro-chic product will also set trends in modern resort interiors being outside the typical Sri Lankan resort design."
Architect Channa Daswatte has imbued unique blues of the Trincomalee sea and the whites of the sand into the double arched architecture reminiscent of the 'retro' years, Chaaya Blu encapsulates the ring of the hip within a cool relaxing milieu.
The unique architecture moves away from the traditional to an inspiration garnered from the James Bond movie flick "Die Another Day" to create 80 rooms including 20 chalets and two suites that compliment the Trincomalee landscape.
However much of the promise of the resort seems to involve showcasing the wondrous offerings of Trincomalee itself which have remained long inaccessible for most, Sri Lankans included.
Another reason that makes Chaaya Blu special is the abundant sightings of Blue Whales which now complete a triad of whale sighting locations in Sri Lanka, collectively spanning eight months of the year.
The hotel has a dedicated excursion centre as well as a PADI certified diving centre to enable guests to make the most of some of the best dive spots in Asia, go snorkeling around Pigeon Island, join a whale and dolphin watching expedition or embark on exciting and insightful tours into the yet unexplored locality." he enthused.