Necessary tax benefits should be provided for the hotel operators to ensure that the losses incurred in the last couple of years due to covid-19 could be now recovered slowly, is the opinion of Nishan Moonesinghe, General Manager, Royal Park Residence Hotel, Dhaka in an interview with the Bangladesh Post.
He also recommends to minimize the red tapes and bureaucracy to a minimum to uplift and give some encouragement for international business travelers to have access to all guest related food & beverage products like some of the middle eastern countries like the UAE who
are enjoying increased guest arrivals due to more options and tourist attractions available to them.
Starting his hospitality career in the United Kingdom soon after finishing Advanced Level exams whilst working to support himself financially in a small bed & breakfast hotel in Bayswater, Moonesinghe was calledupon to join the Rathbone Hotel in Central London initially.
Following on from that, worked for two boutique hotels in Central London called the Sanderson & St. Martins Lane and later with Marriott & Hilton properties. He was just 19 years old, when he realized his passion and mantra in life to please another human being, was going to end up being his career choice for life.
"We are still following most of the covid-19 preventative measures as best practices for our day-to-day business operations like the guest temperature checks and goods inwards receiving procedure is strictly followed to minimize the risk from external suppliers entering the premises etc.", opined Mr. Moonesinghe.
Replying to a query, he said " We are extremely proud of this fact and surely would like to actually cooperate with an educational institute / awarding body to create a pathway for young avid blossoming hoteliers to join the industry to secure the growing trend and the desperate need for adequately skilled staff for service in Bangladesh Hospitality Operations.
He also mentioned that they must create the infrastructure with reputable hotel schools established in Dhaka, with Skilled Trained Overseas Instructors / Teachers who will make the difference between success and failure.
With Reference to Sri Lanka, Moonesinghe said, "we (Sri Lankans) who are well known for their resilience and tenacity will bounce back from the current crisis and comeback even stronger in time to come with the help and support of the neighboring countries generosity and aid.
The implementation of sharing best practices is what I am used to in the United Kingdom whilst, I worked for conglomerates like Marriott & Hilton who benefited, however I see a big reluctance to do so in Dhaka unfortunately, all concerned professionals will be able tomaintain a synergy on the room rates in the current market place if we all work cohesively together!