SHANGRI-LA GEARED TO HOST WEDDING CELEBRATIONS
Shangri-La Colombo, within the two years it has been in operation in the country, has garnered a name for itself unparalleled to other hotels, for their elegant and versatile event spaces. The hotel plays host to the largest Ballroom in Colombo that is equipped to host up to 800 guests, the Lotus Ballroom and multiple other event venues that are ideal for hosting weddings. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, most couples looking to host their wedding celebrations have been left confused with the constantly changing guidelines. We spoke to Mr. Timothy Wright, the General Manager of Shangri-La Colombo who shed some light on hosting a wedding at the hotel.
Since the easing of lockdown how has the market response for weddings been?
I think in general it’s been quite positive – there has been a little uncertainty of what couples can and can’t do, due to the constantly varying guidelines. While we have noticed that most weddings that were scheduled where family members were expected to travel from overseas have been rescheduled, overall there has been a shifting of dates in already planned weddings than cancellation of events. We have also received several new inquiries despite the current situation. The enthusiasm from couples has been the same in spite of the new circumstances.
How has the hotel stepped up to face the new normal?
We have standard guidelines across the group to suit each locality and to comply with these we had to change many of our operating standards. The group came up with the new concept called “Shangri La cares” that takes the deep rooted values of Shangri-La which is all about caring for people and translating it into some very clear guidelines divided into three pillars.
The first pillar is enhanced cleaning protocols and procedures; this includes taking into consideration the recommendations and local guidelines issued by the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health, specifically its Epidemiology Unit. The second is enabling our people. This is achieved through comprehensive and intense training that includes drilling for anticipated situations. The third pillar is enhancing those procedures and looking at New Scientific evidence. The standards of today, may differ tomorrow. Well before the Sri Lanka went into lockdown, we have observed and learnt from experiences in China and what the hotels in that region have gone through. We have been implementing most of these guidelines since February and we continue to remain vigilant and keep in close contact with local health authorities on the latest developments.
Can you highlight some of the enhanced hygiene measures the hotel has implemented?
We have raised our already demanding hygiene standards with new protocols, procedures, and training. We have introduced contact tracing and invested in new equipment to enhance hygiene and safety including electrostatic sprayers for disinfection and thermal scanners for monitoring temperature. These equipment ensure that we are able to control a large number of guests at any given time making it ideal for larger events such as weddings.
What do you think sets Shangri-La’s banquets and services apart from its counterparts?
We offer not only the largest but the most beautiful banquet hall in Colombo. As for service, it is all in the skills of our culinary team, the passion of our service team and the commitment of our event managers.
In addition to these, the size and space of our ballrooms enable us to maintain proper social distancing standards. Furthermore in terms of food and dining we are ISO certified and we have always had very rigorous food safety standards. Food safety, hygiene, sanitation protocols and security have always been a priority at Shangri-La which we continue to maintain as part of our commitment to Shangri-La cares.
In the wake of COVID-19, what special offers will the hotel offer to couples?
We haven’t changed any prices because we want to make sure we are offering the same quality as we did before and it wouldn’t reflect well on the Shangri La Brand if we did so. So rather than discounting on prices what we have done is to show more flexibility. As such, we have relaxed the minimum number of guests based on social guidelines and also we offer more space for changing rooms of couples and their retinues so that they can safely practice social distancing. Fortunately for us, due to the higher seating capacity of our venues we are able to do larger numbers than other venues, although not as large as we used to.
Apart from these, are there any special measures that have been put into place to help couples rest assured?
With all these precautions put in place, there is a sense that we’ve taken proper care – and our commitment is to do it constantly and consistently, until we are comfortable ourselves. As mentioned before, we are ready to be more flexible and to this end we are committed to working with the couple to accommodate their requests, while also ensuring the safety of our other guests as well as our colleagues who are equally important.
At the end of the day, in these times of challenging circumstances we want to ensure the couple have a memorable yet safe day and at the same time ensure that we don’t lose the essence of Shangri-La hospitality – its sense of warmth and friendliness.
Might you like to share some final words with couples who intend to get married in the near future?
At Shangri-La, we aim to ease the planning process of a wedding for the bride and groom. Having a dedicated team of wedding planners makes it easier for us to extend a helping hand to our guests in all circumstances I think we are all still as passionate as before this happened. We have taken adequate precautions and have all the necessary requirements in place to host a wedding safely and create a still memorable event.