Several members of the hospitality industry attended the seminar, held at the Cinnamon Lakeside.
The seminar worked to give participants a holistic understanding of the risks involved in the hospitality industry, with several experts in varying fields giving informative talks on the topic.
“Sri Lanka is increasingly being promoted as a tourist destination.
Not many people think of the risks involved in the tourist industry.
That’s why we as a responsible insurer want to educate industry representatives of the risks, so that they can be prepared for any eventuality,” Chief Executive Officer, Janashakthi General Insurance Limited, Jude Fernando said speaking at the event.
General Manager – Insurance, Janashakthi General Insurance Limited, Shani Ranasinghe opened proceedings, giving participants an introduction into the common misconceptions made when making an insurance claim by hoteliers.
Providing international perspective, Simon Stacey – Regional Loss Adjuster for McLarens Global Claims Services, Singapore spoke about his experience during devastating floods in Northern and Central Thailand in 2011.
In a wide-ranging and informative talk, Stacey provided insights on the role of a loss adjuster when evaluating a wide variety of claims – from stock to machinery and fixtures & fittings.
He also provided intensive information on making claims for business interruption, a topic of great relevance to those in the hospitality industry in the event of a natural catastrophe.
In this way, participants learned the best way to prepare at the time of purchasing an insurance policy and what steps needed to be taken to ensure a smooth claims payment process.
Director – Mitigation, Research & Development Anoja Senevirathne of the Disaster Management Centre of Sri Lanka also spoke at the seminar on how to reduce risks and hazards associated with a natural disaster.
Providing detailed statistics, Senevirathne explained that the fallout from a natural disaster event such as a flood or tsunami would impact the private sector as well as public sector causing more damage and huge losses.
In this sense, the private sector too had a part to play in minimizing their own exposure to risk, she said. As such, members of the hospitality industry should conduct detailed contingency management plans incorporating Disaster Risk Reduction Measures so that they could minimize their own losses.
Transferring risk via purchasing an insurance policy should be done in a meaningful way particularly considering the spatial distribution of disaster risk, she added.
Manager – Technical for Janashakthi General Insurance Limited, Indrajee Goonetilleke also presented the participants with the details of Janashakthi’s Hotel Plus Plan.
Janashakthi Hotel Plus is a comprehensive risk management solution for hoteliers.
Covering star class, boutique hotels and even motels, Janashakthi Hotel Plus provides 11 options for cover in one convenient package.
These include cover for fire and allied perils including riot & strike, terrorism, malicious damages, consequential loss, burglary, public liability, money in transit, plate glass, personal accident, fidelity guarantee, workmen’s compensation, electronic equipment and boiler and pressure vessels.
Janashakthi Hotel Plus can also provide cover for sickness due to food poisoning, injury to guests involved in sport or eco activities conducted by hotel, the loss of guest valuables and capital addition of up to 10% of the building sum insured.
The package is comprehensive and can be customised to suit different needs of any hotel in Sri Lanka.
