- A study on flexibility and crisis management in turbulent times
Considering that we as Lankans have been living in the midst of a crisis for some years now, (Easter 2019, Covid-19, the ongoing national crisis), we’ve somewhat begun to work around these issues and find ways not just to carry on with our daily lives but return to a semblance of business as usual. But every now and then, we find ourselves disrupted by the latest crisis, and 22 July 2022 was one of those days.
On 22 July 2022, Sri Lankan security forces raided the ‘GotaGoGama’ protest site, descending on the site in the early hours of the day, as they set about dismantling the tents and dispersing the protesters at the site. Due to the sudden crackdown happening well before dawn, Sri Lankans woke up to the news of the protest site being taken down.
While there are many political implications and various narratives around the move and the amount of force used by the security forces, there were also practical consequences surrounding the incident – primarily the effects of closing down the roads in the areas around Galle Face, which is an incredibly central location in Colombo.
When business as usual becomes less usual
On Friday morning, we found ourselves watching the events unfold at Galle Face while also being expected to initiate a three-day residential workshop at one of the big hotels overlooking Galle Face. The workshop was scheduled to be held over the weekend, complete with 50 participants – attendees were primarily legal professionals, coming from numerous parts of the island to spend two nights and three days at the hotel.
Arguably, it was a big event, with the significant number of participants resulting in many moving parts. Considering the early morning crackdown at Galle Face and closure of all roads leading to the area preventing public transport from reaching the location and other obstacles, the hotel was forced to inform the organisers of these challenges which prompted the organisers to immediately cancel the event.
However, as unfortunate as it was, the participants were quick to point out that Sri Lanka was in crisis and had been so for many months, and lives could not be put on hold indefinitely due to the instability in the country. Accordingly, they urged the organisers to think of an alternate solution to the problem.
Following the positive response from the participants, the organisers searched for an alternate venue close enough to the original venue which wouldn’t require participants to alter their travel trajectory too much, and settled at the Radisson Hotel (formerly OZO Colombo) situated at Clifford Place, Colombo.
A conference in a crisis
The Radisson Hotel Colombo was contacted at around 7 a.m. on Friday and it was miraculously able to accommodate just over 50 guests needing a conference room for three days, and over 25 rooms for two nights, all by 10 a.m. that same day.
Speaking to Radisson Hotel Group MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) and Events Area Executive Sritharan Gunaratnam, Brunch explored how city hotels such as the Radisson have geared to adapt to this current crisis, even to the point of being able to take on sizable clientele at such short notice.
Gunaratnam said: “I was told of the requirement the morning of, and we had everything but the venue on that day. We asked the organisers to bear with us for that first day with regard to the conference venue as we had another ongoing event. However, we could accommodate their exact request for days two and three.
“The rooms were also available and we were lucky enough to be able to provide accommodation. However, getting the rooms and the conference hall ready by 10 a.m. on the day was quite a challenge, but thanks to our incredible team we were able to do it.”
Interestingly, Gunaratnam noted that as Sri Lanka had been experiencing difficult situations these past few months, stemming from the economic crisis and the subsequent political instability, many of Colombo’s city hotels had adopted crisis management plans. He shared that the Radisson too had put together a comprehensive backup plan which was primarily what allowed them to provide a positive response at such short notice.
He shared yet another example of their crisis management plan that came into play on 9 July, when a major protest took place in Colombo. He said: “We had a wedding which was to be held at the Ramada but due to the intensity of the protests on 9 July,, they shifted to the Radisson. We had barely four days to make that event happen.”
“Since we have faced many crisis situations, we now have this proper backup plan which is a good comprehensive crisis management plan. It has really assisted us in being able to handle last-minute bookings in this way,” he said, adding that this was likely common for most of the city hotels in Colombo, which would have been forced to create a backup plan in the face of this type of crisis. “They will do what needs to be done, because of course the hotels don’t want to lose their clients,” Gunaratnam said.
The crisis still undoubtedly a challenge
Having witnessed the Radisson’s flexibility in adjusting to unexpected events because of the crisis, we also asked Gunaratnam how city hotels like the Radisson have otherwise been handling other aspects of the crisis. Gunaratnam shared that the Radisson currently employed around 100 staff members, a significant reduction from their previous staff of 150. The pandemic and the economic crisis has forced them to trim down in this manner.
Gunaratnam also shared that the Radisson currently employed a majority of senior staff with just a handful of juniors in training, which had also lent itself to fast turnaround when it came to responding to crisis situations. Gunaratnam further explained that while many may assume that protests and suchlike had been the primary cause of the obstacles faced by city hotels in and around Galle Face, their major concern had actually been the fuel crisis.
“Since we are in the travel and tourism industry, naturally it is a big obstacle for us when people are reluctant to travel. I would say the fuel crisis has been the main concern for all of these hotels. As a business we have to achieve our break-even point but it is very challenging to do that these days,” Gunaratnam said.
He added that due to the shortages and the uncertainty of the situation, they had begun to operate with limited inventories. “We are running with limited inventories now, as we don’t want to keep an excess that we will not use when we are not keeping busy. In fact, on that day of the conference, we had to get a few things outsourced.”
Other challenges for hotels during this time are items such as food and beverage, which are perishable goods. Hotels will typically organise their inventory targeting occupancy, so when they are faced with a sudden unexpected influx of bookings it becomes a challenge.
Gunaratnam further highlighted that the Radisson was an upscale four-star hotel whose major client segment was corporates, noting that due to the crisis, Colombo city hotels and transient hotels, much like the Radisson, had suffered the loss of their main target market. He added: “We have also lost our foreign market. Russia, Ukraine, and India were huge markets and we are not getting even a single booking from those countries, which is a huge loss. Therefore, all the hotels, especially in Colombo are entirely focused on the local market because we don’t have any other segment to cater to.”
The last-minute conference experience
Some of the participants of the aforementioned workshop noted that with the exception of the first day where they had to utilise a smaller conference hall, the experience at the Radisson went very smoothly, so much so that they completely forgot that they had a last-minute venue change.
Many of the participants noted that they did not expect perfection, understanding that this was an extraordinary circumstance for all parties involved. They shared that they were happy to be able to hold the workshop and not have their learning opportunity halted due to the country’s instability.
Law student Savandi Jayawardana who took part in the event shared: “Overall, it was a great experience despite the situation and the unexpected events that took place. I really appreciated how quickly the organising committee worked to make sure that we were safe and provided everything from transport to accommodation. The workshop was extremely well organised and personally, I was honoured to be part of it.”
Many others had similar sentiments to share, and we too have to make note of the smooth handover, with special mention of the Radisson’s service and accommodation – the rooms at the Radisson were well beyond our expectations. For a city hotel, the experience was fantastic, paired with great service from a staff that was sure to have been spread thin. It was an overall admirable experience.
Life always finds a way, and it appears that even in the midst of a crisis that can upend plans at the last minute, Colombo is still equipped to be able to make magic happen when needed.
