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Cinnamon Lakeside’s General Manager Dermont Gale – Pic by Sameera Wijesinghe
By Marianne David
Q: You took up your current position as GM recently, but you aren’t new to the Cinnamon chain. What were your first impressions of Cinnamon Lakeside and how have things changed now?
A: The Cinnamon Lakeside is still a beautiful hotel. It hasn’t changed from when I was here around 12 years ago. The hotel is quite impressive; it’s quite unique in its design and structure. Following the renovation five years ago, it’s a much nicer product now. The only real changes are 7 Degrees North, room renovation, the lobby area is new and so on. It’s still a quality hotel.
Q: You have over 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry, having worked in some of the finest hotels in the world. How did your entry into the hospitality industry come about and what are the highlights of your career?
A: I started in the industry as a chef. The highlights for me were basically opportunities to travel and work in so many different countries as an executive chef, which is very satisfying.
When I was at the then Trans Asia, the management asked me to go over to the then Colombo Plaza – today Cinnamon Grand – and be responsible for the development and operation of all the new restaurants. I set up Tao, Lagoon, Cheers Pub, Echo, Coffee Stop, etc. It’s very satisfying that it has stayed exactly the same. Lagoon is still as busy; it has been maintained very well and still has the same menu. It’s quite unique for a restaurant to stay still as busy despite being exactly the same for over 10 years.
Being successful in every job in every country that I’ve worked in and the accolades and awards from running kitchens, including two Rosettes in the UK, were very satisfying. I did a lot of pre-openings – opening hotels from scratch, getting a team in, training the team, and watching things develop from the very basics.
Q: Now that you’re at the helm at Lakeside, what are the key areas you are focusing on and how do you plan to enhance the guest experience?
A: Key areas are improving the product offer and the service standards. Rooms are rooms at the end of the day and the rooms are nice and clean and maintained; the experience is basically from the moment the guest enters the hotel – the service from reception to going to the room, coming down, the F&B and the welcome drink, the flow of service when they are dining, back to the room, the turndown, and very last, upon departure, they should experience the same warmth, hospitality and smile. It’s what we’ve got now and I will be improving it – it’s all about consistency and communication and motivating the team. We’re in this industry to exceed people’s expectations.
Q: How would you describe the property’s offerings and potential?
A: Cinnamon Lakeside is quite unique; it’s a resort in a city. It’s got the best location in Colombo, overlooking the Beira Lake. It’s got areas which I think haven’t been utilised yet – beautiful landscaped gardens and the water’s edge, which we can utilise for more events and F&B concepts. None of the other hotels have got that.
Q: How will the Cinnamon Lakeside differentiate from the competition?
A: All the new hotels being built now and our competitors are more like upright structures, whereas Cinnamon Lakeside is different. That’s our strength, related to our location. The hotel is over 20 plus years old but even now it’s still a very stunning structure. When it was built, it was quite ahead of its time in design. Even now it’s still an impressive landmark around the Beira Lake.
Q: How has the hotel fared in the last few years and how does it plan to grow its market share?
A: Cinnamon Lakeside even as Trans Asia has always been a very successful hotel. It’s more challenging now with the development of new hotels and budget hotels, but I think we will be able to hold our own due to Cinnamon Lakeside having such a good reputation. We have a good repeat clientele. We are going more for the leisure market and we will be getting very aggressive via our sales team and aim more for the leisure market even though we are also corporate-oriented.
I am very result-oriented and I tell my staff I want this to be the best hotel in Colombo. I want this property to get back its days when it was rated as a top property on TripAdvisor. It’s been six weeks since I came in and I’m slowly changing things and making things brighter – there’s a lot of F&B and new concepts being implemented. Not new restaurants, but we’re fine-tuning what we’ve got and guests say they can feel the difference already. The lobby, the executive lounge are much brighter after we moved things around; Goodies downstairs is completely different, it’s bright now and a much more inviting location. It’s been dull for years and it’s so much fresher now.
Q: Could you outline the hotel’s plans for the Christmas and New Year season?
A: We’ve got a lot of exciting F&B and promotions for the Christmas period. I don’t want to give too much away, but it will be definitely different from the usual offering. It’s going to be nice and rich and a different Christmas festive experience for any guest coming through the door.
Q: What are your views on Sri Lanka’s potential as a tourism product and what do you see as the key things Sri Lanka needs to improve on with regard to tourism?
A: Times are looking very exciting for Sri Lanka. I’ve been away for nine years. Since the war stopped, the roads are improving and Colombo is much cleaner. There are still things to be done. Tourism infrastructure still needs to be improved but overall Sri Lanka has a very bright future. Tourism wise, it will be very exciting for any person coming to hospitality, with all the new hotels opening, especially in Asia. Europe is a bit sleepy but China, Asia, Indonesia, Thailand… I’ve been to all these locations and tourism is booming. A lot of Indians are travelling now and it’s the same with China.
