Positive thinking is entrenched in how the General Manager of Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo Darshana Gallage looks at running a business. In a recent LMDtv interview, he mentioned that although Sri Lanka is currently battling an economic crisis that’s affecting the hospitality sector, seeking solutions and options to operate better is paramount.

“The labour force – key people in food and beverage, kitchen, sales and marketing, banqueting, front of the house and all areas – is moving but there’s nothing wrong with that given the current situation,” he said, adding that “what’s important is to look at how we can sustain operations.”

He stressed the need for the Sri Lankan hospitality sector to embrace a business model like its counterparts in North America and other parts of the world, where trained, casual and part-time workers make up a large portion of the hospitality workforce.

According to Gallage, training is imperative for the hospitality sector to recover in the context of service standards: “With the current situation, there’s a shortfall of services. And we need to put our efforts into training, development and opening up opportunities for people from around Sri Lanka, to come and join the sector.”

The General Manager of Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo elaborated: “Sri Lanka needs to get the basics right. Once your basics are right, the rest can be aligned with the way we want to operate a business.”

He highlighted the need for the right development plans, adoption of new technology, new ways of training people and nurturing fresh talent.

With the dearth of labour in the hospitality arena, recruiting new talent is crucial. And for Gallage, the right attitude triumphs over all else. “We can train people and give them knowledge; but we have to choose the right people who have the right attitude – because hospitality is all about attitude,” he declared.

Another aspect of helping the sector recover is catering to up-and-coming travel trends, be they leisure or business related.

Gallage emphasised the need for Sri Lanka to position itself properly in terms of what it offers, taking inspiration from destinations like Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines in the East, and Brazil, Mexico and France in the West, to name a few.

“We need to identify travellers’ needs and what their journeys are – and then cater to them,” he said.

And he urged Sri Lanka to look at global best practices, in its quest to being one step ahead of travellers and being informed of their needs: “We should be identifying each and every guest who comes to our hotels – their travel journey, how much they spend, their likes and dislikes, and the frequency of their visits.”

Technology and training, he says, is the way forward; and he stressed that Sri Lanka needs to invest in new technology and appropriate training to ensure that it provides an international offering to tourists, coupled with the unique hospitality the country is known for.

He noted: “We generally care for people; our culture revolves around caring for people. Sri Lankans are truly hospitable – hospitality is in our blood, so we simply have to guide [hospitality sector professionals] by giving them the correct direction and correct opportunities.”

“No matter what comes, Sri Lankans are very strong people,” he stated, adding that the nation has powered through all challenges from wars to natural disasters. According to Gallage, it is imperative that sector employees keep in mind that “nothing is impossible.”

He encouraged the next generation of hospitality workers to stay positive: “It’s a matter of changing your mindset that everything is possible and we have to move forward no matter what.”

“We have to find new solutions; we need to look for opportunities and new ideas; we need to experiment. Sometimes you fail; sometimes you succeed. Move forward with the success stories and learn from the failures.”