Banquet service matters!
When we think about hotel service, we most likely think about restaurants, in-room dining and housekeeping. But there’s another key area that requires, sorry demands top-notch service. It’s in the article title - Banquets. And this is where I feel that some of Colombo’s top hotels from the old guard are veritably short-changing patrons. And this isn’t right; especially given that per-plate prices are now well into five-figure sums. Let me explain.
My wife’s uncle has four daughters. The eldest got married several years ago, at one of Colombo’s most prominent hotels, and from what I recall; things were pretty good in terms of service. Naturally, the Father chose the same hotel for his second daughter’s wedding, which was held in late January 2026. And this is where I noticed the stark difference. Not to be crass, but a roadside café would have offered far better table service.
My biggest gripe with the service was that despite there been more than enough staff, they just weren’t attentive. You couldn’t even describe them as being ‘not attentive enough’, they weren’t attentive, period. The welcome drink was already placed at the tables, and once guests had finished consuming them, I noted that the empty, dirty glasses remained on the tables for a very long time - in the case of my table, over an hour! Soup was served at the table, and once again, soup plates took a very long time to be cleared. My empty soup plate lingered on the table over half an hour.
The buffet opened at 9.30pm, with two action station areas set up, duplicating the four action stations specified, to ensure that the crowd navigation and management is made easier. Curiously halfway through buffet service, one of the action station areas was shut down, leaving only one running, increasing the queue and wait times. The same occurred at dessert, where there was an action station for churros, yet the person designated to be there had deserted his post about halfway through the service – so when I served myself, I got a few soggy, cold churros. Those behind me weren’t so lucky.
Oh, and getting water glasses filled? That was a lucky draw in its own. Tables were littered with empty glasses, and service staff seemed to flit about taking a plate here, a glass there, there was no logic or order. When my wife and I returned home close to midnight, we were quite dehydrated (as one would be at a wedding with a dancefloor). Pilgrims traversing the Sahara would have had a better chance of getting water. Being a Muslim wedding there was of course no bar service, but given the lackadaisical attitude of the staff, had there been bar service, I am sure a riot would have broken out!
Good service isn’t rocket science when all you’ve got to do is get the basics right, such as regularly replenishing dishes on the Buffet, and for staff being attentive by timely plate clearance and filling water glasses, etc. This is at the very least the basic – something that was distinctly lacking at this hotel which, despite prominently featuring the term “Grand” tagged to its brand name, was anything but...
Finally, lest I forget to mention, midway through our meal we noticed that it was getting warm. I suspect the airconditioning was turned-down. I guess this was the hotel’s approach to reducing energy consumption, irrespective of the fact that such measures lead to guest discomfort.
Ashraaq Wahab - Director of Marketing and Technical Hospitality Sri Lanka who enjoys writing down his thoughts on a variety of topics across diverse areas and industries. In addition to this, Ashraaq is an automotive presenter, writer and marketer. He also features in two YouTube channels, his own, and RevMatch SL.
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