“We are in a time of significant tourism growth and my department contributes directly to the business success of the hotel’s entire operation,” declares Dinesha Kendaragama, director of guest relations at Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo, Sri Lanka. The island nation in the Indian Ocean confidently expects visitor numbers to grow 20% this year over 2017’s total 2.2 million.
“Right now I have eight in my team, but that will go up to 15 as I want to increase to 24-hour service, to keep pace with Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport, which never closes. We currently cover, in shifts, from 7 a.m. through to 2 in the morning,” she explained. She has two men in her team; one of the women speaks Japanese, another is Chinese, on a year-long exchange visa, which everyone hopes will be extended as China’s investment in Sri Lanka includes a US$1.5 billion land reclamation project just outside the hotel.
“It is essential that we all know what our guests like and make them so comfortable they become loyal to this hotel. The most demanding are middle-aged guests, both men and women, from elsewhere in the Indian subcontinent. Chinese, just like Japanese, are particularly culturally sensitive. I wish Americans were more forthcoming in what they want, and how we can make a stay even more comfortable. Overall, 9% of our guests are domestic. Business people, from anywhere, do not want a single minute of time wasted, while those on vacation are happy to chat,” she shared.
She reports directly to the front office manager and is continually interacting with front desk, housekeeping, private dining and security. A daily 2:30 p.m. meeting with her team goes through the day’s VIP list, which numbers at least 12 guests on average, and looks through future arrivals up to seven days ahead. Research is done via social media, and saved knowledge on past guests, and, for Golden Circle loyal members, from other hotels they have stayed in.
“The challenge is last-minute bookings as we have to scramble to decide on the best room amenities and flowers. I try to be on hand to give personal welcomes, and room as many arrivals and possible; in fact I do, within reason, whatever is wanted. Saudi women, for instance, do not like being passed over to someone else so if they need total unpacking I will do it myself, there and then.”
Does a sari get in the way sometimes? “Well, previously, in Australia my daily uniform was blue jeans and the first time I put my required sari here it took 90 minutes, but now I have got it down to five minutes. We all wear saris Indian-style, as it is less revealing than the Sri Lankan version, which shows a lot of midriff. My sari, with a blouse and a full-length blue underskirt, is wrapped around and flows over one shoulder, secured in all with only four safety pins. The only inconvenience is that there are no pockets,” she laughed.
The business of guest relations, she said, cannot rely too much on technology. “I make contact with guests primarily before a stay and once they are inhouse, and for me nothing beats speaking on the telephone or direct contact. I meet my guests in a public lounge, or the hotel’s rooftop Horizon Club lounge, or I entertain in a restaurant,” she explained, fully agreeing that from a business viewpoint her department has continual incremental outgoings but no direct income. “In fact we do undeniably contribute to revenue, as happy guests are more likely to come back.”
Kendargama is eldest of three children of a rural Sri Lankan veterinarian and a housewife (“we have a tradition of powerful women in our country, and both my parents respected and supported my childhood ambition to be a success in business”). At 17 they sent her to stay with an uncle in Brisbane, Australia, and after a degree in business at the University of South Queensland she worked at Cole’s department store in Melbourne. Since her two younger siblings were by now also studying in Australia, she returned home for parent-care reasons, and fell into hospitality, at another Colombo hotel – where, coincidentally, she met her husband, the manager of its Chinese restaurant.
“Once the hotel is even more established, and I have expanded my team, I will start an MBA, probably e-learning with the University of Canada West. Having become so enamored of hospitality, and especially Shangri-La, I would like to evolve into a self-employed consultant for them, making sure customer service is perfect for all future openings.”