Since last year, the country has seen tech-enabled affordable accommodations expanding across Metro Manila to as far as Metro Cebu, Davao, Pampanga and Tagaytay.
The option of booking a room through an app and paying at the hotel is its signature catch, on top of having a decent room guaranteed clean and complete with basic essentials — fast WiFi, hot and cold shower, air conditioner, drinking water and toiletries — which are not always available in Airbnb accommodations.
By standardizing the budget hotel experience, Singapore-based RedDoorz takes pride in creating a ripple of win-win partnerships with its growing number of partners, including local boutique hotels, inns, apartels and condotels.
Joseph Chua, owner of Hotel Rosemarie in Pasay, admits he partnered with RedDoorz because of low weekday accommodation in his double rooms. His boutique hotel has 145 rooms, composed of single, double and family rooms.
“We have around 60 double rooms and it’s where we found challenges on weekdays. When RedDoorz came in, I was surprised that it was always fully-booked. We even have to give our buffer rooms,” he says.
“It’s a good problem. We recently did a report and found out that 98 percent of the time since January 12, we exceeded the number of rooms. I think RedDoorz is doing something right. It was a good decision that we chose them to be our partner.”
Chua says that he chose the brand over its competitor because he found its people professional and sincere. His family is initially into warehouse leasing and real estate, and only started the hotel business by accident. With little background in the hospitality industry, he had a dilemma on handling his staff and operating the hotel, to which RedDoorz stepped in to help.
“The property managers that they assigned to me are very good and hands-on. In fact, I also learn from them. I give them free hand to train our people and I’ve seen the results,” he shares.
“RedDoorz is able to augment your income, but earning is just secondary. They can expand your market. They’re able to tap the markets that you cannot tap and get you guests that you think you won’t be able to reach. They can improve your internal and external systems in running the hotel. Internally means your people, your surroundings — how you run, clean, operate. And your hotel will be known. That’s what I noticed.”
For now, RedDoorz’s market is not the typical tourist, but mainly transit-oriented guests who just need a decent place to sleep near major thoroughfares and transportation hubs. Yet, having foreigner guests continues to surprise Chua at his simple hotel near the MRT Edsa Station.
“In all honesty, I think it’s the location that also makes the hotel attractive. It’s along EDSA, and if you want to go to any point in the Philippines, like Baguio or Boracay, you could take a bus right outside our property. While some complain that the place is sometimes noisy and busy, for most of them, what they want is accessibility.”
Making condotels a sound choice
RedDoorz has also partnered with condominiums, such as Urban Deca along EDSA in Mandaluyong, which is known for affordable accommodation. In the building, rooms for daily rent comprise a whopping 70 percent of all the units.
Jenefer Nizami, a BPO employee-turned-entrepreneur, owns seven units in Urban Deca. She targets to lease a total of 50 condo rooms under her contract with RedDoorz.
She clearly remembers when she chose Unit 316 as her first unit. To her, it sounded like John 3:16, thus she picked it without actually seeing and inspecting the unit. Today, the room holds RedDoorz – Nizami Condotel’s main office, which is open 24/7.
“The most fulfilling part of the business is being able to provide stable jobs to at least 19 people — our housekeepers, checkers and receptionists,” says Nizami, who is hands-on in managing the property.
“RedDoorz trains the staff on-site regularly, teaching them how to do check-in/out system, proper housekeeping. They are happy and motivated by the many perks from RedDoorz, such as the ‘Friday free lunch or merienda.’ If we have problems, we can easily call the chat support anytime. One time, there was an irate and unreasonable guest who lashed our staff with harsh insults. Our employee handled the scene professionally while RedDoorz understood and agreed that we could revoke her booking. Eventually, we were able to pacify her and she left apologetically the following day.”
She adds that during the recent water crisis in their area, they had to fetch water for each of the room — they were still fully-booked — and RedDoorz generously gave her staff Sodexo GCs for going the extra mile.
Before partnering with RedDoorz, Nizami had to personally clean all her seven units in the morning, meet her guests in the afternoon, then work in the BPO at night.
“Here at RedDoorz, we promise not only growth for the partner property owners themselves but for their staff as well. By providing them with further training to help them provide excellent service to our guests, we are also enabling them to achieve more in their career,” said RedDoorz COO Rishabh Singhi in an interview.
“We’re trying to solve the problem of unnamed, unbranded, small, mom- and-pop hotels, and there are lots of them. We are solving the problem for them, trying to give them the brand, technology and training. To be more open to the new-age millennial customer and to have the kind of services that the customers are expecting.”
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RedDoorz Philippines is actively seeking new partners to work with to deliver outstanding budget hotel accommodations to more locations across the country. For partnership inquiries, email [email protected] or call 249-8745.