City of Dreams Sri Lanka: “We want to refine our operations so that service feels perfectly suited to each guest”

City of Dreams Sri Lanka opened its doors on 2 August 2025. Just one month into operations, the property is carving out a reputation as a unique casino-hotel in Colombo, bringing international gaming and hospitality standards to the country.

Darsh Gallage, Director of Hospitality, in an exclusive interview with Yogonet International, spoke about what it takes to manage daily operations, the behavior of casino patrons, and the lessons learned so far.

Now that the property has been open for almost a month, what aspects of daily operations are settling into the rhythm and which are still evolving?

To be honest, one month is not enough time to really understand the casino business. Right now, we are in the process of learning and understanding the footfall of our guests. Our key patrons are casino patrons, so the focus is on observing their behavior. What are their likes? What are their dislikes? How do they spend their time?

I am working closely with my team to fine-tune the operations so we can better meet those needs. We are slowly getting there, but I think it will take another couple of months before we are fully settled. Once the casino side is 100 percent occupied and we are fully aligned with guest behavior, that is when I can say things have truly stabilized. At this stage, it is still very much a learning process, and I see the next two to three months as crucial.

What kind of guest behavior patterns or preferences have stood out, especially given the casino–hotel crossover?

It is very different from other five-star hotels. Here we have to cater entirely to individual needs. In a casino, every guest is different. Some are regular patrons, while others are very high-end patrons, and their requirements vary drastically.

That means we need to understand their preferences without being intrusive. We cannot always directly ask questions, because that may disturb them. Instead, we observe carefully. It is about reading mood swings and knowing exactly when to ask questions and when to step back. Timing is everything.

For example, a guest may want to be completely left alone during gaming but expect immediate service when they finish. Understanding that rhythm is crucial. It’s not merely about hotel operations in the traditional sense; it’s about anticipating and managing moods and behavior in a way that is very specific to the casino-hotel environment.

How do you ensure seamless coordination between hotel and casino teams, particularly during check-in times or VIP guest arrivals?

We work closely with our Business Development team, or BDA team. They are assigned to look after individual casino guests, and they know exactly when guests are arriving and what their preferences are. They escort the guests, and they guide us, saying, “This patron has this preference, they are coming at this time.” That way, we are fully prepared.

This coordination is continuous, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Unlike regular hotels, we don’t restrict check-in or check-out times. If a patron wants to check in late, we allow it. If they want to extend their stay, we extend it. There are no fixed cut-offs like 12 noon check-out or 2 pm maximum. Our priority is to give 200 percent to the casino patron, because they are the core of our business.

So the coordination is seamless and tailored entirely to guest preference. The BDA team leads the way, and we align all hotel operations around the information they provide.

Have any unexpected operational challenges emerged in these early weeks, and how have you responded to them?

Yes, absolutely. The opening itself was very challenging because we had tight deadlines. On top of that, many patrons came in from Manila, Macau, Cyprus, and India. These are very high-end customers, and their needs are different. Their last-minute demands created pressure, especially with a young team that was still new to this style of service.

In Sri Lanka, hospitality is not new, but casino-hotel hospitality is new. The decision-making required for this kind of service is different. At first, that was a struggle. But through training and hands-on experience, we have started to understand guest patterns. Over the past weeks we have adapted and learned how to meet those high expectations more effectively.

It was not easy in the beginning, but now the team is much more confident. They are starting to recognize and anticipate what different types of patrons expect.

What are some of the behind-the-scenes processes or systems you have put in place to ensure service consistency across all touchpoints?

Communication is the most important thing. We have a strong link between Reservations, Casino Marketing, the BDA team, and the Gaming team. Everything is coordinated and connected. The casino team has the deepest understanding of customer behavior. They know the guests’ likes, dislikes, and moods, sometimes better than anyone else. We rely on their input and adjust our hotel operations accordingly. That coordination is what ensures consistency across all touchpoints, from arrival to departure.

Behind the scenes it is constant communication. Everyone working together, not just one department. That is the only way to keep the service consistent and seamless.

How are you managing quality control and guest feedback in real time while still fine-tuning workflows and team routines?

During the opening, we had support from experts from Manila, Macau, and Cyprus. They have run casinos for years, and they brought that expertise here. The systems we are using come from them and from our parent company, City of Dreams. That gave us a strong foundation.

But each property has different types of customers. In Macau, the majority are Chinese. In the Mediterranean, it’s Europeans. Here in Sri Lanka, most of our guests are Indian. The good thing is that Sri Lanka already attracts Indian tourism, so we are familiar with their behavior. What we need to do is fine-tune our service to cater specifically to them.

That includes everything from food preferences to service style to the rooms they prefer. We manage feedback in real time by listening to what patrons say, observing their behavior, and adjusting immediately. Our international experts have given us systems, but we adapt those systems for the Indian market, which is the largest here.

In what ways have guest expectations aligned or diverged from what the team initially anticipated?

We anticipated that Indian patrons would be the majority, and that has proven true. We know what they expect, the kind of food, the service standards, the rooms they want, even the attitude they prefer from staff. By studying competitors and by drawing on our own experience, we have been able to align with those expectations.

The BDA team has been especially valuable because many colleagues come from the same nationalities as our guests. They speak the languages, and they understand the culture. That makes communication much smoother and puts guests at ease.

We are also enhancing this further. For example, we are in the process of bringing in more Chinese colleagues so we can serve Mandarin-speaking guests more effectively. It is all about making guests comfortable by making sure they feel understood.

What role does technology play in optimizing day-to-day operations, and are there any tools you have found particularly valuable already?

Modern casino operations rely completely on technology. From guest arrival to service delivery, from monitoring guest experience to ensuring security, everything is handled through systems. That way, nothing can go wrong if the systems are followed.

We use technology and expertise developed in Macau, Cyprus, and Maryland at our sister properties, and we have enhanced it further for Colombo. That is a huge advantage because we are not starting from scratch. We are adapting proven systems to the Sri Lankan market, and it is already proving invaluable in keeping operations smooth.

We work with detailed guest profiles. Most of the high-end guests who come here have already visited our sister properties, so we receive their profiles in advance. That gives us a clear picture of what they like and expect.

The team is very flexible. Front office, F&B, butlers, everyone works together. There are no silos. Every department takes responsibility for the guest experience from arrival to departure. Teamwork is what allows us to handle VIPs, celebrities, and high rollers effectively.

What are your key operational focus areas over the next quarter, and how are you planning to build on these first few weeks of learning?

We are still very much in a learning phase. One key focus is food and beverage. We are studying what kind of food patrons prefer and how to serve it without disrupting their gaming flow. Guests are already giving feedback, saying, “Can we change this?” and we respond immediately.

I work closely with the culinary team and with the casino operations team. Dealers often get direct feedback from players, so they are a crucial source of information. We hold regular meetings and have open platforms where colleagues can say what is working and what needs improvement. That kind of open communication is helping us improve quickly.

The priority is to keep learning and adapting based on customer behavior. We want to refine our operations so that service feels seamless, intuitive, and perfectly suited to each guest. These first weeks have been about building understanding. The next quarter will be about putting those learnings into action.