Exclusive Interview | Janitha Chathuranga Madawala, General Manager, Thinnai Group Srilanka
/“Demonstrating leadership in difficult times takes an additional measure of tolerance and empathy. It means working more diligently to rally the team, find the lessons you can discover through hardship, and commemorate your victories. It’s a time to lean into sharing your purpose and vision even more”
Editor: Tell us about your journey. How did it all start?
I have been in the hospitality industry for almost 15 years. I began my career at the age of 18 with Hilton International as an intern in all four major departments in the hotel, which was a part of my Hospitality Management Degree Program at the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management. My internship reports from Hilton, where I underwent training, and my solid grades helped me to build an impressive Career
After graduating I started with Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts as a graduate management trainee. The Management program was well structured and had clear goals. It was tailored to our individual objectives.
The two years of the program provided me with the prospect to work in every department of a hotel which laid the foundation for later career moves in hotel operations from Deputy Restaurants and Bars Manager to my current General Manager position.
This gave me an early insight into the day-to-day operation of a hotel, which helped me to make many of my career decisions over the years. This was the era that reinforced in me the importance of hard work, humility, and teamwork.
Besides, there was a time I made short-term moves to predominantly widen my horizon in the industry and in the food and beverage areas until I have developed myself to this stage of my career.
My career was shaped by working in top international hospitality groups on several continents around the world. I was privileged to associate with many organizations which taught me how to lead teams and pursue a career with multi-branded hotels such as Hilton, Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts, Southern Sun Hotels, Wyndham Group (Ramada), Emirates Leisure Retail Branded Bars and Restaurants, Premier Inn, Carnival Corporation and Thinnai Group of Hotels.
Furthermore, every move I had made helped me to share my experience and continue with the long-term plan in every organization that I had worked for.
Editor: What do you think it takes to succeed in this industry?
It lies in positive thinking, a robust optimistic outlook, and sheer determination. We should believe in success which creates a successful reality. I have always given myself the benefit of the doubt and assumed that I will succeed at accomplishing my objectives, as I discovered from the past and I snatch every trice as an opportunity.
Editor: What are the attributes you look for while selecting or hiring?
Attitude: The right attitude is what matters the most, which includes being mentally agile and open-minded to fresh, untested ideas and embracing change.
Enthusiasm and Passion: Enthusiasm is a great quality to possess for a new employee. Enthusiastic and outgoing employees are often beneficial to a business because they are likely competent when it comes to operations management and resource planning.
Responsiveness: Being attentively responsive shows admiration and courtesy which are key signs of how they will cooperate with colleagues and customers once in the position. Curing people respectfully will yield better business outcomes in every facet of an organization, especially when trading directly with clients.
Putting Skills to Action: They should be self-motivated and excited to be an active member in their organization’s efforts, and eager to put in the extra effort to accomplish success in the business. The ones who keep their composure while simultaneously demonstrating their problem-solving abilities are often better equipped to work well under pressure and demonstrate accountability that might come along with the job.
Further, I spotlight attributes including communication skills, cultural awareness, and their ability to be a great team player
Editor: What advice would you give to a young, aspiring hotelier for their internship?
I would advise them to be humble, stay hungry, always hustle, and bring their personality and determination to be exceptional. As I am a firm believer that nothing is more thrilling than for a professional to see what stretches her/him the most. Indeed, they need to challenge themselves every few years and look for challenges/experiments which can reinvent them, along with helping their personal and professional progress.
Editor: What are some of the trends you see impacting the hospitality industry?
Well, it goes without saying that the ongoing pandemic and subsequent safety measures such as going contactless, traveling sustainably, travel restrictions, etc. are having a substantial impact on the hotel industry throughout 2021 and will no doubt spill over into 2022 and beyond.
Commercially, in my opinion, it’s going to be a very optimistic blow for the hotel sector. There is a lot of pent-up demand and with average savings per household at the highest levels, I do expect households to look for avenues to flee once we get over this pandemic. Being such an underpenetrated market, there is an exceptional scope for growth.
I further believe that nations’ comportment towards collaborations will change over and will undoubtedly be influenced by post-COVID-19 norms, and I trust that it will only support us as a polite society to progress for the better. Like some best trades, I do see the hotel sector adapting and effectively re-initiating itself rapidly.
Editor: Two things you would like to change in the industry.
1. Hotel’s PMS System should be integrated with a channel management solution due to the increased competition
Be it Africa, Asia, or Europe, competition is highly prevalent. For today’s guests, options are in abundance. This has led to a fall in occupancy rate and ARR and this has no doubt of hurting the health of the hotel business.
Subsequently, to beat the completion and to attract guests, a hotel must have a strong online presence. For this, the hotel’s PMS system should be integrated with a channel management solution. It will help a hotel to better distribute its inventory across multiple channels. Thus, a hotel can sell more rooms and increase occupancy, which leads to increased revenue.
2. Every Hotel to leverage the right mobile app to offer guests what they want due to the increased guest expectation
Today, guests have become demanding, and they expect the hotel to offer them value for their money. They need free high-speed Wi-Fi, a sophisticated in-room entertainment system, less time-consuming check-in, and check-out, etc. In short, they are looking for personalized services.
And as a challenge they expect the hotel staff to respond to their requests and complaints at the earliest.
This is the area where they must fare extremely well to stay ahead of the competition. Hotels can leverage the right mobile app to offer them what they want. They can introduce a hotel APP or guest service app to help guests manage their post-booking activities. Guests would feel better and empowered if they get to use their own smartphones to utilize as door keys, to order service, and to chat with hotel staff, etc.
Editor: What is your favorite interview question and why?
“Tell me something about yourself that isn’t on your resume.”
Because it provides him/her an opportunity to choose the most compelling information to share that is not noticeable in the resume.
One with a Team
