Client: “Manhattan Premier Suites,” a chain of upscale boutique hotels in New York City. Service Area: Global Onshore & Offshore Staffing via Orivon TalentWorks Challenge: The astronomical cost of hiring and retaining 24/7 customer support and reservations staff in New York City was unsustainable. They were sacrificing service quality and losing revenue due to missed after-hours calls and understaffing during peak times. Solution: Through our Orivon TalentWorks platform, we built, trained, and managed a dedicated offshore team in the Philippines to provide seamless, 24/7 reservations and customer support, integrating them perfectly with the on-site hotel staff.
Introduction
Manhattan Premier Suites built its brand on providing a high-touch, luxury experience. However, the economics of staffing in NYC were working against them. The cost to employ a single, round-the-clock front desk and reservations team was enormous. To control costs, they were forced to rely on a limited overnight staff and an answering service, which didn’t align with their premium brand identity.
The Problem: 5-Star Hotels with 2-Star Support
The staffing challenge was creating significant business problems:
- Lost Revenue: An internal analysis revealed they were losing an estimated $750,000 annually in booking revenue from calls that were abandoned after-hours or during busy periods when on-site staff were overwhelmed.
- Brand Inconsistency: Guests calling at 2 AM would get a generic answering service, a jarring experience for a luxury brand. This inconsistency was showing up in negative online reviews.
- High Operating Costs: Even with limited staffing, labor was one of their biggest line-item expenses, squeezing profitability and limiting their ability to invest in property upgrades.
The Catalyst for Change: A Negative Review Goes Viral
The tipping point came from a travel blogger with a large following. He detailed his frustrating experience trying to modify a reservation late at night, ending his scathing review with, “They charge for the Plaza but have the service of a motel.” The review was shared widely, causing a noticeable dip in bookings and forcing the executive team to confront the financial impact of their service gaps.
Our Strategic Solution: Orivon TalentWorks
The hotel chain engaged us to build a global staffing solution that would enhance service without breaking the bank.
- Recruitment of Top Talent: Through Orivon TalentWorks, we leveraged our recruitment network in the Philippines to source candidates with extensive experience in hospitality and luxury customer service. We didn’t just look for call center agents; we looked for “hospitality professionals.”
- Immersive Brand Training: We worked with the hotel’s leadership to develop a rigorous training program. The selected team was trained not just on the booking software, but on the brand’s specific service standards, the unique features of each hotel, and the tone required to interact with a luxury clientele.
- Seamless Technology Integration: We set up a cloud-based communication and CRM platform that fully integrated the offshore team with the on-site staff. A guest’s request taken by the offshore team at midnight would be in the on-site manager’s queue, with full context, by the time they arrived at 7 AM.
The Transformation: Better Service at a Lower Cost
The Orivon TalentWorks solution provided immediate and dramatic results.
- Massive Cost Savings: The fully-loaded cost of the dedicated 12-person offshore team was 55% less than the cost of hiring a comparable team in New York City, resulting in annual savings of over $600,000.
- Increased Revenue: With 24/7 professional coverage, they captured the after-hours bookings they had been missing. Direct booking revenue increased by 20% in the first nine months.
- Improved Guest Satisfaction: The new, responsive 24/7 support system led to a significant increase in positive online reviews mentioning the ease of booking and quality of service. The hotel chain could now confidently deliver on its luxury brand promise, around the clock.