Marriott Hotels optimistic of successful operations in SL

• Celebrates two years’ existence in July

By Charumini de Silva

Weligama Bay Marriott Resort and Spa, an iconic brand of Marriott International, proudly celebrates its second anniversary on 20 July this year. Located along the southern coastal belt of Sri Lanka, the resort has become an icon that embodies a blend of warm service culture, quality facilities, spaces and experiences to delight today’s traveller.

Marriott International Area Vice President – South Asia Neeraj Govil

Marriott International Senior Area Director Human Resource – South Asia Gurmeet Singh

Marriot International is a US-based company in existence for over 90 years, present in 180 countries with a portfolio of 30 brands. The expertise of successfully running a property and sharing that success with the owner is what Marriott brings to the table.

During a brief visit to Sri Lanka Marriott International Area Vice President – South Asia Neeraj Govil and Senior Area Director Human Resource – South Asia Gurmeet Singh took time off to speak to Daily FT about its successful two-year journey and future plans.

“The hotel experienced a phenomenal growth within just two years of operation. We are happy with how things have moved for us here, we are extremely happy to get the ‘red M’ as we call it. Our team is confident that Weligama Bay Marriott Resort and Spa will continue to inspire travellers from Sri Lanka and around the world to visit and experience more Marriott Hotels,” Govil said.

“As a country, your offerings are pretty special. You are able to offer tourists a great number of diverse experiences within the island – one can experience both the hills and the beach within a five-hour drive. Your hospitality is phenomenal; the people are warm and genuinely service-oriented. The skill level is also improving with a lot of Sri Lankans coming back home and the food, obviously is a winner,” he added.

While noting that any country can do more, by and large he believes Sri Lanka has been dealing with it rather well.

He commended the Board of Investments (BOI) in Sri Lanka for encouraging foreign investors and for all initiatives taken towards developing the tourism industry.

Govil said Marriott International offer the brand, the prestige that comes with it and manages the property for its owners. In the South Asia alone, Marriott has a total of 123 hotels with an inventory of over 23,000 hotel rooms.

“We open a new hotel globally every 14 hours,” he quipped.

He said they mainly look at the value proposition of the location and figure out what kind of brand will work there. “We don’t really have a control on specific locations. Currently, Weligama Bay by Marriot Spa and Resort is our only property, but the Ritz Carlton and the Sheraton will open soon in Colombo. We are optimistic that we will be able to open them soon,” he stressed.

In addition to just managing hotels, Govil said they market the destinations that they operate in and particularly in Sri Lanka they see great potential to have multiple properties as there is so much diversity in the offerings in the country.

In terms of expansions particularly to areas that are not densely populated with tourists, he noted that it was all about finding the right partner.

“Marriot has 30 brands in the portfolio today, so we obviously have a brand for a particular purpose and particular kind of customer. We consider all the requests that come our way, but the final call is made depending on the feasibility of the project. We have got a hotel in Colombo due to open and that is Sheraton. We have also got a Sheraton in Kosgoda. In addition we have JW Marriot and Ritz Carlton also in Colombo. As Colombo being the gateway or the entry point we will need representation there,” he added.

He believes the two Sheraton properties will be up and running anywhere between eight to 12 months from now.  

“The tourism climate is relatively favourable and we are optimistic about it. Within the next 12 months you should see more hotels will be opening in Colombo. For us the important factor is to get the tourist numbers up in the country. I see Sri Lanka as being a circuit, not a one hotel stay kind of place. I see us having multiple hotels at multiple locations and almost creating a circuit — I think there lies an opportunity as there is so much diversity in your offerings,” Govil said.

As a company, he said they have their own rules about managing tourism responsibly with both long- and medium-term goals.

“There is a sustained effort into ensuring environmental friendly approaches in our operations. There is a lot that we do in the heart of the house as well. These include sustainable engineering, reducing energy consumption from sources that are not natural, getting rid of plastic and conserving water. We also go to the extent of monitoring the carbon footprint left behind by the products we use, how much travel our food has gone through, whether we are buying local produce, whether we use global produce responsibly and so on,” he explained. In addition Marriott International has recommended actions to be followed during the process of building a property. 

According to Govil, they assess how passionate their partners are about sustainability concepts and they insist that these practices are incorporated from the beginning of the plan.

Govil said providing employment for local community was considered as one of its greatest services to the country and its people in whichever destination they operate in. “We like to make sure that the locals are recruited from the country including for senior positions — we are very passionate about that. We make sure we support them. When it comes to target ratios, we firmly believe that the majority of the employees must come from the locality,” he pointed out.

Around 75% of the local employee population at this property are from Weligama and surrounding areas, he said adding that there is an important need to benefit the locals by providing great work opportunities, career advancement prospects and even overseas opportunities as they have over 7,000 properties worldwide. 

“Education of the workforce is very important to us. Our associates are trained in this subject and our senior executives walk the talk as well, to ensure our customers also adhere to these practices. Everyone needs to get together and make a joint effort to make it work,” he added.

He asserted that they also want to encourage more women to cross the threshold to the industry, especially in the Asian region. 

“We eventually want to get to 35% representation, but currently we are around 20%. We believe in having diversity in our workforce in order to best serve our guests because our guests are also very diverse. They come from different nationalities and are diverse in who they are. Having more women in the team helps us cater to that and to get women on to the team, we understand that we need to be more flexible,” he stressed.

“We also train our employees as base-level on how to interact with people. We want to be known as the preferred company for people to work, train and grow with —that’s very important to us,” Govil said.

He assured to provide the same stability and opportunity for locals who want to come back with their families, noting that they have done this in every county in which they had opened hotels. He also said it was imperative to build a talent base in the county if the industry is to grow and be successful here.

In terms of recruitment, Singh said they follow one simple principle and that is based on right attitude. “Attitude in our industry is priceless. You have to have a passion to work in this industry. Skills can be taught. We want people who genuinely like interacting with others and contribute towards creating great experiences for our guests that are coming from all over the world. We hire for attitude and train for skill,” he stressed.

“The genuine warmth of people here in Sri Lanka is amazing and they work hard as well. We just have to give them the right environment. I am very confident that we can develop our own talent base here. This is one country that is brimming with talent,” he pointed out.

Emphasising on retention of talent being a great challenge that many corporates have to face in today’s world, he said it was critical to ensure that the careers of the people they hire are managed right from the get-go so that they have clear career development plans in place.

“We have one of the lowest levels of attrition, even here in Sri Lanka. We have to make sure that what we stand for and say is deliverable upfront. We have to be versatile and flexible as well when taking care of staff, especially as they look after other people. From the moment they realise that we genuinely care for their grievances, it makes a huge difference. Thanks to our portfolio, we are able to accommodate many of the requests regarding career progression and shifts. We even offer them the chance to switch between our brands. It’s really about doing what we say we will do,” Singh pointed out.

In terms of expansion in the economy to support the tourism industry, Govil said initiatives taken by authorities to extend airport and upgrade facilities would greatly help the sector coupled with a well-connected road network and other essential infrastructure islandwide.

The Weligama Bay property offers 198 beautifully-designed expansive rooms and suites where each unit of accommodation offers uncompromising views of the Indian Ocean and includes a king or twin bed configuration, separate bath and shower, a 55-inch television, Wi-Fi and a balcony to enjoy the seascapes from. Thoughtful star-class amenities combined with personalised comfort ensures each guest a private sanctuary.

Guests are spoilt for choice with five food and beverage outlets at the resort. The all-day dining restaurant, Weligama Kitchen, spreads across different zones, each serving a distinct cuisine, ranging from traditional Sri Lankan specialties, to Tuscan, Cantonese and Indian delicacies and an interactive live kitchen where all the action ensues. The Big Fish is a chef driven restaurant offering gourmet seafood in a casual upscale setting with thoughtful service.