Winning the Luxury vs. Boutique Hotel Battle By Outsourcing to a Call Center in the Philippines

The hospitality industry was at a standstill during the global COVID-19 crisis, with hotel chains worldwide limiting guest bookings or even locking down entirely. Now that the pandemic is behind us, hotel and accommodation businesses can again open their doors to tourists locally and internationally.

The problem that many hospitality companies face today is having to scale operations efficiently as the world recovers from global disruptions. A boutique hotel, in particular, may struggle to deal with increased competition from luxury accommodations, all while keeping operational costs under control.

To prevent your in-house staff from overstretching themselves, consider outsourcing to the Philippines. With the right BPO partner, you can gain needed support for administrative tasks like bookings, inquiries, and service management. Meanwhile, your core team can focus on giving guests an unforgettable hotel experience.

Unique Characteristics of Boutique Hotels 

#1: People gravitate toward boutique hotels because they provide personalized service.

In the battle between boutique and luxury hotels, smaller chains have one key advantage: more customized service.

Since boutique hotels often cater to fewer guests, they can more efficiently accommodate unique or unusual requests. Owners can change interiors, amenities, or services depending on a person’s particular tastes and preferences. 

Working with call centers in the Philippines can help enhance the “personalized” feel that boutique hotels are known for. Filipinos are renowned worldwide for their hyper-personalized customer service, using their natural empathy and hospitality to make guests feel at ease.

#2: Boutique hotels value local culture.

Have you ever wanted to travel to a new, exotic location that will let you immerse yourself in an entirely different culture? Going to a boutique hotel may be the ideal accommodation for your preference.

Unlike larger hotel chains, which prioritize consistency across all franchises regardless of location, boutique hotels tend to promote and uplift local culture. Beyond using designs particular to their community, they also source furniture, food, flowers, and other items from locally owned businesses and other nearby providers.

BPO companies in the Philippines are masters at personalizing and localizing customer service. With the proper training and support, they can help you promote this authentic vibe while catering to clients hundreds of miles away, allowing you to provide a unique customer experience your guests will remember.

#3: Boutique hotels deeply respect history.

In addition to valuing local culture, boutique hotels also tend to honor their historical roots, often incorporating elements of the past into their designs and amenities. Some small hotels may even be located on historic sites, with the building remaining unrenovated but adequately maintained since its establishment.

Filipinos also have a deep respect for history. As such, call center agents may help you promote your building’s historical roots when answering potential guests’ inquiries. If this is an important selling point for your boutique hotel, your offshore virtual assistants may highlight it when creating marketing materials or social media posts.

#4: Boutique hotels prioritize an intimate atmosphere.

Boutique hotels usually have 25 to 100 guest rooms, while larger hotels may have up to 700. Compared to the vastness of a chain hotel, smaller accommodations may provide a cozier, more intimate atmosphere, which appeals to guests looking for a more “authentic” experience.

Because people turn to boutique hotels for this intimate experience and sense of community, working with Philippine call centers can be the perfect partnership. 

One unique facet of Filipino workplace culture is the focus on nurturing social bonds and emphasizing close-knit communities. They tend to bring this same mindset when catering to guests, focusing on forming genuine relationships instead of seeing customer service as a one-time transaction.

#5: Boutique hotels offer more value for money and often provide the same priceless experience as luxury accommodations.

Another advantage of boutique hotels over larger accommodations is their more cost-effective rates. Despite lower costs per available room, guests may still enjoy the same priceless experience they expect from luxury hotels.

In the same vein, choosing the Philippines as your outsourcing destination can also help you save on costs while still reaping the same performance quality you’d expect from onshore professionals. Filipinos are English-proficient, highly trained, and educated, and they will ensure that your clients receive the best possible customer service.

Top Challenges Faced By Small Hotels That Philippines Outsourcing Can Address

Increased Competition From Larger Hotels

One of the most significant challenges today’s boutique hotels face is fierce competition from luxury accommodations. These larger hotels often have a bigger marketing budget, more room for guests, and more resources to spend on amenities and other features.

Despite these advantages, boutique hotels can still gain a competitive edge by hiring business process outsourcing (BPO) providers. 

Having an outsourcing partner can help them navigate the constant fluctuations in customer demand, capably upgrading or downgrading operations depending on seasonal changes. This gives them more flexibility than the average luxury hotel, making them more adaptable to unforeseen circumstances and market disruptions.

Widespread Talent Shortages

Hospitality is one of the industries facing widespread labor shortages, with many hotels struggling to find and recruit qualified workers. Boutique hotels, in particular, may feel the significant effects of the talent crunch, further fueling their struggle to compete with larger accommodations.

Since they’re typically understaffed, many boutique hotels have trouble meeting customer demand during peak seasons. Their existing employees may also experience severe stress and burnout from taking on an overwhelming workload.

The good news is that outsourcing business processes to a capable provider can help lighten your core team’s load. As your in-house workers prioritize guest experience and other revenue-generating departments, back-office professionals can perform repetitive tasks like data entry, booking inquiries, and scheduling.

Limited Resources

Another pressing challenge boutique hotels face is their limited budget and resources. Unlike larger hotel chains, they can’t constantly spend money on online advertising, promotions, amenity upgrades, and other regular expenses. 

Reducing costs while maintaining operational efficiency and productivity is necessary for businesses with limited budgets. Boutique hotels will significantly benefit from working with a BPO provider that can connect them with qualified talent at affordable rates.

By outsourcing administrative and support services to the Philippines, you can take advantage of the nation’s lower living and labor costs while ensuring that world-class professionals handle your crucial non-core tasks.

Top 5 Roles Boutique Hotels Can Outsource to the Philippines

Omnichannel Customer Service

Hospitality businesses compete primarily on guest experience. The hotels that provide positive and memorable experiences are the most likely to receive better reviews, higher customer satisfaction rates, more referrals and recommendations, and repeat business.

Through customer service outsourcing, boutique hotels can build a connection with their guests and leave a lasting impression beyond a single transaction. Dedicated offshore call center agents can answer questions about room availability, reservations, booking fees, scheduling concerns, and other essential information.

Support teams must invest in omnichannel capabilities, allowing potential and existing customers to reach out through phone, email, live chat, social media, or any other platform. The goal is to make it as easy and convenient as possible for guests to book their travel accommodations, empowering them with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions during their stay.

Multilingual Support

The first interaction between a hospitality establishment and its guests can set the tone for the rest of their relationship, so it’s best to leave a positive impression. Show international guests that you care about resolving their problems and value their feedback by providing multilingual customer service.

Since people from all over the world can visit your boutique hotel, it’s crucial to give them the option to ask for support in their native language. 

A multilingual call center in the Philippines can provide customer service beyond basic translation. Armed with a vast pool of multi-language specialists, your ideal BPO partner will understand the cultural nuances of your customers’ preferred vernaculars, fostering a sense of familiarity for guests and providing a truly tailored experience they’re unlikely to forget.

Accounting and Bookkeeping

Monitoring cash flow is vital for businesses of all industries but is particularly critical for boutique hotels. Keeping a detailed record of all financial transactions can help hospitality establishments optimize revenue, plan their monthly and yearly budgets wisely, and create a more accurate forecast for the future.

Hotel accounting can be more complex than other sectors because rates can fluctuate depending on factors such as holiday spikes, peak seasons, room sizes, accommodation packages, etc. As such, the outsourced accountants you choose should ideally be familiar with the industry’s nuances.

The right offshore team can help you track your expenses, handle payroll, make educated financial decisions based on actual data, comply with tax laws, and ensure overall profitability.

Data Entry and Management

Access to relevant customer data can significantly benefit the hospitality industry. Luckily for them, Philippine call center companies offer more than customer support. Their solutions have expanded to include specialized services and back-office functions like data entry.

What are the characteristics of your target market? Which platforms do they use to contact you? How do they make purchase decisions? Which months are the most in demand for booking hotel rooms? These are just a few of the questions you can find an answer to by collecting data and performing a thorough analysis.

However, before you can analyze the data, you must ensure that the information you utilize is accurate, reliable, and relevant. Proper data entry and management can help you log all essential information and maintain customer records, regularly verifying whether they are updated and error-free. 

This way, you can extract actionable insights from raw information without worrying about whether your data is obsolete, faulty, or incomplete.

Virtual Assistants

Today’s boutique hotel owners have too much on their plates. They navigate the delicate balancing act of managing their operations daily while seeking ways to improve guest experiences and gain an advantage over the competition. 

The truth is that you can’t do everything yourself. To improve your focus and reduce your workload, consider working with offshore virtual assistants.

A call center services provider can connect you with outsourced VAs who meet your needs. These back-office professionals can perform a wide range of functions, including answering guest questions, handling bookings, scheduling appointments, performing data entry and management tasks, and more.

With these world-class VAs by your side, you can redirect your attention to your core operations. Meanwhile, capable specialists handle your essential yet tedious administrative duties.

Looking for Top-Notch Call Center Companies in the Philippines? You Can’t Go Wrong With SuperStaff!

At SuperStaff, we are passionate about helping our clients scale their operations, streamline their processes, and improve their bottom line through our customizable BPO solutions. 

Whether you need customer support agents, data entry operators, or VAs, you can count on us to get you in touch with the offshore team that meets your business goals.

Learn more about our call center outsourcing services by reaching out today!