A resort fixes their broken Instagram lead process with conversational AI
The Problem: Beautiful Posts, Broken Process
The marketing director at a luxury heritage resort in Rajasthan had a problem. Their Instagram looked perfect—stunning palace architecture, guests in traditional attire enjoying royal experiences, thousands of followers loving every post of their converted maharaja palace. But here’s what happened behind the scenes every single day:
7 AM: 47 new Instagram comments and messages waiting
7:30 AM: Screenshot everything and email to their agency
9 AM: Wait for the agency to compile a spreadsheet
11 AM: Get the spreadsheet back, manually enter into CRM
2 PM: Sales team starts calling people
End of day: Most prospects already booked somewhere else
“We spent ₹12 lakhs a month on Instagram marketing,” the marketing director recalls. “But we were losing leads faster than we could respond to them.”
Here’s what that looked like in numbers:
- Response time: 48 hours
- Conversion rate: 12%
- Customer satisfaction: 2.8 out of 5
The resort’s in-person service was flawless—guests felt like royalty. Their digital experience was driving people away.
The Breaking Point
A destination wedding planner posted Friday evening asking about hosting a 200-person celebration at the palace. Potential value: ₹40 lakhs.
Following their standard process:
Too late. The planner had already booked with a competitor heritage hotel that responded via WhatsApp in 10 minutes on Friday night.
“That’s when we knew our process wasn’t just slow—it was costing us serious money.”
Here’s How They Fixed It
Instead of overhauling everything at once, they implemented Ephanti’s MEVA AI agent in phases.
Week 1: Connect All Social Media MEVA started monitoring every Instagram comment, DM, and story reply. Everything flowed into one unified inbox instead of scattered screenshots.
Week 2: Add WhatsApp Integration
They added WhatsApp buttons to every Instagram post and story. Now interested guests could move to private messaging instantly—perfect for the Indian market where WhatsApp dominates.
Week 3: Train MEVA on Resort Details Palace suites, heritage dining experiences, desert safaris, traditional performances. MEVA learned to answer questions about Rajasthani culture and royal experiences.
Week 4: Enable 24/7 Response MEVA started handling inquiries around the clock. In Hindi, English and regional languages for domestic travelers, plus international languages for foreign tourists.
Here’s What Changed
Speed Transformation:
- 48 hours → 3 minutes average response
- 24/7 availability (including festivals and holidays)
- Under 60 seconds during peak inquiry times
Conversion Explosion:
- Overall lead conversion: 12% → 47%
- Instagram to actual booking: 3% → 28%
- WhatsApp conversation to booking: 62%
Operational Efficiency:
- Daily lead processing: 6 hours → 30 minutes
- Eliminated agency dependency (saved ₹12 lakhs/month)
- Reduced staff overtime by 80%
Revenue Impact:
- 156% more bookings from social media
- 23% higher average booking value (better qualification)
- 89% reduction in lost leads
Unexpected Benefits
International reach expansion.
MEVA’s multilingual capabilities started converting European and American tourists who inquired during Indian nighttime hours—prospects who previously never received responses.
Festival season optimization.
During peak wedding and festival seasons, MEVA handled the inquiry surge that previously overwhelmed staff.
Cultural consultation.
MEVA learned to provide guidance on traditional ceremonies, dress codes, and local customs—adding value beyond just booking.
Implementation Insights
What Worked Best:
- Starting with their highest-volume channel (Instagram) before expanding
- Leveraging WhatsApp’s popularity in the Indian market
- Training MEVA on cultural nuances and traditional experiences
What they’d do differently:
- Enable regional language support from day one
- Set up festival calendar integration earlier
- Create specific conversation flows for wedding vs. leisure travel
The Competitive Edge
Six months later, this palace resort maintains a significant advantage. While other heritage hotels in Rajasthan still operate on traditional lead management timelines, they convert prospects in real-time.
“We’ve essentially eliminated the window where guests can comparison shop,” explains the marketing director. “When someone shows interest in our royal experience, we engage immediately and guide them toward booking before they even consider other palaces.”
The resort transformed Instagram from a marketing expense into a direct booking engine. They turned their biggest operational weakness into their strongest competitive advantage.
By treating social media as a real-time conversation channel instead of a traditional marketing platform, they converted lead management from a daily headache into a revenue driver.
ROI achieved in first 90 days: 340% return on Ephanti investment
Dealing with similar lead response challenges?
Let's talk about fixing your process. Here's what we can do for you today.
