Cinnamon’s city hotels readies for Chinese guests
View(s):With the Chinese inbound market to Sri Lanka making giant strides, many local companies are scrambling to get a slice of the action. However, one of the biggest problems is the lack of sufficient Chinese-language speakers/guides plus made-to-measure hotel facilities apart from other drawbacks.
Pix showing Chinese GROs
This is where Cinnamon’s city hotels – Cinnamon Grand, Cinnamon Lakeside and Cinnamon Red – have come in with a special China strategy campaign to be officially launched today, on World Tourism Day (27 September).
As part of its China strategy, the three hotels have recruited Chinese guest relations officers (GROs) fluent in Mandarin and English and are training the front-line staff on basic Mandarin language skills. A special ‘Let’s Learn Chinese’ booklet has been developed by the Marketing Communications team of the city hotels for the hotel staff with assistance of a Chinese language teacher. To facilitate this better, a video clip depicting the correct pronunciation of the words has been developed by the Cinnamon Grand Learning and Development team. Associate training will begin in the coming month to ignite interest, encourage learning and garner their support in better understanding the needs of this market.
“Given the advantage we have in offering a diverse products portfolio and hospitality concepts, we are going all out to tap the potential of the growing Chinese tourism market,” said Executive Vice President John Keells Holdings and Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts Sector Head-City Hotels Rohan Karr, in a media statement issued by the group. “We are aware of the distinctive requests of these travellers and are looking at product and service enhancements geared towards supporting them, breaking language barriers and offering unique city experiences.”
“Plans are also underway to dedicate a floor at each property for Chinese guests with accents to complement their travel requirements. In-room compendiums have also been translated to Mandarin, and the hotel has added four Chinese television channels to the rooms’ television network. Moreover, the hotels are looking at F&B concepts that cater specifically for the Chinese tourists such as introducing popular Chinese dishes to the buffets and beverages to restaurants. Special stay packages will be created among the three properties catering to the demands of these tourists as well,” the hotel group said.
Cinnamon’s city properties have already begun mooting product and service enhancements specifically conceptualised to add value to the experience of Chinese traveller staying at the hotels. “We are fixed on making our hotels even more Chinese-friendly than it is at present. We want them to feel comfortable and know that they are understood, their needs met and where their language is spoken. We want them to come to us with the confidence that they will be well taken care of,” Mr. Karr said.
The hotels are also unrolling a dedicated digital campaign through social media. “To create hype among associates, a special three-day campaign will be launched tomorrow (28 September) at Cinnamon Grand Colombo. An engaging and interactive one, the campaign will feature Chinese related activities and fun quizzes with exciting prizes; to both test their familiarity of this growing market as well as introduce the entire campaign to associates,” the group said.