The setup

Camino Palmero sits on the beach in Coveñas, Colombia. This 25-room boutique property faces the same challenge as most Latin American hotels: overwhelming WhatsApp message volume during peak season. By August, they were handling 1,700 daily messages with a small team that couldn't keep up.

The problem

Oscar, the general manager, puts it simply: "My staff couldn't do their actual jobs anymore."

The reception team spent entire shifts copy-pasting identical responses to basic questions. Guests waited hours for simple information about breakfast times, WiFi availability, and pool locations. Staff had no time for upselling services or providing personalized guest experiences.

Previous chatbot attempts failed completely. Guests complained about robotic responses that made the boutique property sound impersonal. "We're supposed to be warm and personal," explains Ana Carolina, the commercial manager. "These bots made us sound like we didn't care."

The math was brutal: staff burnout, frustrated guests, and zero capacity for revenue-generating activities.

The solution

Camino Palmero implemented Visito, which connects hotels to WhatsApp Business API in under a minute. The system handles guest conversations across multiple channels: WhatsApp, website chat, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger.

Natural conversations: guests book rooms and ask questions without realizing they're communicating with an automated system. "People show up asking for 'Maria' or whoever they think helped them on WhatsApp," Ana laughs. "When we tell them it was AI, they don't believe us."

Smart escalation: routine questions about amenities get instant responses, while complex booking changes or complaints route directly to human staff with full conversation context.

Revenue optimization: when guests book basic rooms, the system naturally mentions spa services or upgrades through conversational suggestions.

The Cloudbeds integration enables direct booking within WhatsApp conversations. Guests check rates and complete reservations without website redirects or friction.

The results

August performance data shows measurable impact:

• Over 2,300 staff hours saved monthly
• 1,700 daily messages handled automatically
• Zero additional hires needed during peak season
• Direct bookings increased through friction-free WhatsApp reservations

Staff can now focus on hospitality work instead of repetitive message responses. The hotel handles communication volume that would typically require three additional full-time employees.

Why WhatsApp automation matters for independent hotels

Independent hotels can't compete with chain properties through staffing alone. Big brands have call centers and massive teams. Boutique hotels need different solutions.

Beach destinations experience dramatic seasonal spikes. Hotels can't hire and fire staff every few months, but automation scales instantly when bookings surge, then adjusts during slower periods.

The financial impact extends beyond labor savings. Those 2,307 monthly hours represent three full-time salaries that can fund property improvements, better amenities, or marketing campaigns that drive direct bookings.

What the team says

“Visito has made it easier for customers to connect with us for the first time through WhatsApp, providing quick and friendly responses to their questions when they want to book a stay at our hotel. It's a system that can understand, in most cases, the specific requests each person needs to be resolved. It delivers accurate and agile responses, using such a warm and natural tone that customers feel as if they're speaking with a real person. Since we started using Visito, our sales team has increased bookings by focusing on guests who truly want to visit and reserve, instead of spending valuable time answering repetitive questions from potential customers."

Ana Carolina, Commercial Manager

Conclusion

Small hotels can't afford communication overload, but they also can't compromise service quality. Camino Palmero found the balance: automation handles repetitive tasks while humans focus on problem-solving, experience creation, and personal guest connections.

Those 2,307 saved hours monthly represent more than efficiency gains. They are 2,307 hours available for actual hospitality instead of FAQ responses.

Hotels can deliver instant answers and personal service simultaneously. The right automation makes both possible without budget strain or staff burnout.

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Ready to transform your hotel's guest communication like Camino Palmero? Start your free trial with Visito and experience how easy it is to automate guest conversations. Setup takes less than a minute, no credit card required.