The silo mentality within hotel departments
I am normally a book-direct person – particularly for local hotel stays. Making a direct booking with hotels provides a flexibility to make amendments or specific room requests whilst talking to a live person. Additionally, many hotels offer perks like free breakfast, which is not listed online. More importantly, if I need to resolve a dispute, I can be greatly disadvantaged booking via an online travel agent (OTA); when the hotel points at the booking site and the booking site points at the hotel.
Currently, most hotels in Sri Lanka are wrestling with low occupancy due to the crisis in the Middle East, aggravated further by the onset of the ‘off-season, which runs from May until September. In that backdrop, my recent attempt to book a room directly with a seaside resort hotel, for a weekend stay in May of this year was a struggle. This beach resort property belongs to a local hotel brand owning several hotels in the island.
Firstly, the hotel tele operator when asked to connect me to the hotel’s reservations department informed me, that she would instead transfer my call to the brand’s Global Reservations Centre (GRS). When questioned as to why I couldn’t speak to someone at the front desk to obtain room availability and the rate for a double-bedded room on half-board basis, she passed my call on to a Guest Service Attendant (GSA).
Initially, the GSA suggested that I to obtain the relevant information from the brand’s GRS. When pressed to give me an indication of the rate, he kept me on hold for several minutes before informing me that it would be Rs. 45,000/- for a Garden View room. I wasn’t told if it was inclusive or exclusive of service charge and taxes. Anyways, by that time my enthusiasm to continue the conversation with this individual was waning as his reluctance to offer me information was loudly apparent.
When I requested to speak to the hotel Manager, the GRA informed me that the manager and the management team were on a trip for three days. I left my phone number and name with the GRA and requested him to ask the manager to call me, when he gets back to work, before politely ringing off. By the way, I’m still waiting for that call.
Following that interaction, I re-dialed and was connected to someone at the hotel brand’s GRS. For the same period I wished to stay, and for a Garden View room, I was quoted a nightly rate of Rs.40,500/- inclusive of service charge and taxes, on half-board basis. I guess, that was expected, because, hotel’s usually quote the highest rate when a customer or walk-in guest directly approach them for a room.
The following day, I called the hotel brand’s GRS, and when I wished to make my booking, was told that the Garden View rooms were unavailable and in any case, that this category of rooms had only twin-beds, not double beds. No one upto that point had informed me of this. I was then informed that only Superior rooms were available.
Before making any reservation, I went online to the hotel’s website and, discovered that this same hotel was offering a promo rate, for May 2026, where the Garden View double room was listed at Rs.28,850/- plus taxes, on half-board. Now being aware that this category of room had only twin-beds, I checked the rate for the next higher category of room and discovered that the rate was Rs. 38,100/-.
What is astonishing is that none of the people I spoke with (hotel and GRS) even mentioned that this special promo was on. Is it that the marketing people in this organisation don’t communicate with the hotels’ front office staff? I guess not. Traditionally, most hotel commercial teams demonstrate a ‘Silo Mentality” – a mindset in which they feel as though they belong to a specific group in their workplace rather than a collective. Consequently, information, resources and strategies aren’t shared as readily (or even withheld).
Ilzaf Keefahs is a freelance writer who enjoys focusing on hospitality related matters that he is passionate about, and likes to share his views with hoteliers and customers alike. He delves into the heart of hospitality to figure out both customer service and consumer trends that impact the industry.
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