“Millennials love experiencing the real culture of a place they choose to visit. They love to share experiences and connect with the locals.”

— Shihalini Rajaratnam

Editor: Tell us about your journey. How did it all start?

Joining the hotel industry was not a choice. I was into corporate marketing in a software company while in India and returned to Sri Lanka which is my home country. I spent six months looking for a similar role but considering the niche market for the software industry in Sri Lanka, the roles I got were mostly into banking and not heart whelming. My brother who was already in the hotel industry at the time encouraged me to join the hotel industry in Dubai.

My first interview was for the second batch of Atlantis – The Palm, Dubai as Guest Relations however I was not selected. Instead, Aitken Spence Maldives offered me a role as Guest Relations Executive and it was a good offer at the time. In January 2010, I arrived in the Maldives with an imagination of Paradise and having the least idea of what was expected of me except for the tremendous customer service experience I carried.

Editor: What do you think it takes to succeed in this industry?

Passion, working with your heart and hunger for achievement. I was all new to the industry and hardly received any training off the job. It was continuously figuring out your role on the job and how I could apply my experience to apply new techniques and make it a better place. I succeeded initially by being able to “sell” and applying my marketing experience to promote sales and prepare documents. Working long hours was a must as I joined an extremely busy resort and we worked almost 16 hours a day. Building connections help a lot as you grow, the reviews just roll in when the true art of service is rendered.

At present, it is all about rendering love, care and compassion to your team, colleagues and guests. Hospitality can never be a job, it is indeed a passion.

Editor: What are the attributes you look for while selecting or hiring? If someone wants to work with you, what should they do?

I use emotional intelligence. Initially, it’s the passion to work in the industry. I spend at least 45 minutes on a video call as we mostly hire remote especially for expats. A natural smile is important. Within the first seven seconds, you will start feeling the solid impression of the candidate however there is always a procedure to follow.

We have a standard interview technique designed to assess the competency of a candidate and questions are structured to obtain attitude based real-life scenarios. This has created efficiency in recruitment.

I always believe that the tasks could be taught but never the attitude.

Editor: What according to you can trainees do while they are training at hotels to make it a win-win for them & the hotel/unit?

Learn everything they can within the short stint. Knowledge is the key. Build connections. Focus on all aspects of the department they are selected for and I strongly advise on cross-training as well. If you work for the front office, you must have an understanding of how other departments operate.

I have had efficient interns who were able to grab the role available.

Editor: What are some of the trends you see impacting the hospitality industry?

It was all leading to personalized interactions along with speedy technology. Quick Check-In and Check-out, WhatsApp conversations with guest service hosts instead of grabbing the telephone in the room. Millennials love experiencing the real culture of a place they choose to visit. They love to share experiences and connect with the locals. Social media plays a wide role here. Covid-19 will make use of technology to a very high extent with personalized care and social distancing in mind.

Editor: Tech is now an enabler for great hospitality. Can you share with us some of the tech that goes into creating your guest experience?

As mentioned in my answer above, Personalized host experiences through WhatsApp played a wide role in the past few months. Hosts were able to continuously support guests on their queries on and off duty times. It also helped us keep in touch with our guests post departure helping in generating more reviews.

This is also a great chance to keep in touch with our guests as prospective repeaters. All other Social Media channels such as Instagram, Facebook, and OTAs drive business to a large extent.

Review Pro is another great tool helping us to analyze our guest experience. Where we stand in the market against our competitors, what we do best and what we lack. Information is the key to continuous improvement.

Editor: Two things you would like to change in the industry.

Use more emotional intelligence to approach your teams and guests to fit into the new era of hospitality. Teach them the core concept of “Hospitality with the heart”.

Increase in the level of empowerment in team members who are identified as potential performers

Editor: What can we expect in the coming year?

A focus on quality instead of quantity. Guests will be ready to pay higher rates with all airline fares rising tremendously. The challenge is to ensure that we are geared to cater to this market. We in turn will have to educate our teams to continuously promise and deliver an exceptional guest experience. The pandemic has raised caution and we can see brands already working on operational hygiene and safety standards for continuous protection and assurance. Employees will need support with continuous training, and assurance in order to ensure a safe environment. In return, we ought to be ready to deliver exceptional care for those guests willing to travel and spend amidst this pandemic. The demand will remain for those with high safety and service standards in comparison to the luxury of a product.

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