‘This Is Disturbing': Hotel's Switch To Offshore Virtual Staff In Miami Raises Employment Concerns
Reacting to the video, a user said, "So American jobs are being taken by Indian people overseas and AI at the same time. Two slaps in the face."
A video showing a man checking into a hotel in Miami with the help of a virtual front desk employee has stirred strong reactions online. It has led to discussions around outsourcing, job security and data safety in the US.
The clip was first uploaded on Instagram by Pete Langs, who captured his experience while checking into a hotel in Florida's Miami. What stood out in the video was that the person assisting him with the check-in wasn't physically present at the front desk. Instead, a man appeared on a screen and helped him through a video call.
In the video, the virtual receptionist asks Langs, 'Do you need one room key or two room keys?" to which Langs responds, 'Two, just in case I lose one." The man on screen then proceeds to guide him through the check-in process and prepares the registration form.
Langs captioned his video with, 'Miami virtual check-in at hotels!"
The Video Received Backlash
After being reposted on X (formerly Twitter), the video triggered strong reactions from users, especially Americans, who expressed concern about jobs being shifted outside the country. A number of people assumed that the receptionist was based in India, although the video does not confirm either the person's location or nationality.
Sharing Lang's video, one X user wrote, 'Miami hotel has outsourced their front desk to India. Guests are checked in virtually on a video call with an Indian representative. More American jobs are being outsourced overseas. At some point, this should just become illegal. If you make money in America, you should hire Americans."
https://x.com/WallStreetApes/status/1951498719767183812
The footage's comments section was soon filled with criticism and questions. Some users expressed frustration over what they see as a growing trend of outsourcing jobs to people outside the US. Others questioned the safety of personal information being shared internationally.
A user commented, 'So American jobs are being taken by Indian people overseas AND AI at the same time. Two slaps in the face."
Another wrote, 'Why are they giving jobs to India? This has been a long-standing thing. So that means your data has been sent to India. You're staying in an American Hotel chain but yet your data is in India now."
'Simple, don't book in. Look for another hotel. If you are upset about it, then put your action where your mouth is and book with hotels where the front desk is in person and not outsourced to India," someone said.
A person remarked, 'It's weird how hotels, Dunkin Donuts, 7-11s, and gas stations are now mostly owned and run by Indians. I wonder how that pipeline works."
'This is disturbing and anti-American. As a kid, I worked for Marriott Hotels at the front desk. I can't imagine replacing that front desk greeting with an individual in India," read another comment.
The outrage over virtual check-ins and outsourcing comes at a time when the American labour market is already seeing a huge shift.
According to a National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) analysis, the foreign-born labour force has shrunk by 7,35,000 since January 2025. Broader figures suggest that close to 1.7 million immigrant workers who were employed earlier this year are no longer part of the country's active workforce.
About the Author
Buzz Staff
A team of writers at News18.com bring you stories on what's creating the buzz on the Internet while exploring science, cricket, tech, gender, Bollywood, and culture.
News18's viral page features trending stories, videos, and memes, covering quirky incidents, social media buzz from india and around the world, Also Download the News18 App to stay updated!
tags :
viral news
view comments
First Published:
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
a few seconds ago
- Time of India
Over 10,000 Indian startups rush to join UAE-India CEPA Council's series
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills In just 50 days, the UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) Council's Startup Series has attracted applications from more than 10,000 Indian entrepreneurs, underscoring the programme's role in accelerating the globalisation of homegrown Indian Startup Series is the UAE-India CEPA Council 's flagship initiative, designed to connect India's most promising innovators with the UAE's dynamic start-up a comprehensive launchpad, from mentorship to regulatory guidance, the programme leverages the opportunities created under the UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) to accelerate cross-border growth The start-up series journey commenced on 24 June 2025, with a dynamic launch event in New Delhi, hosted by His Excellency Abdulnasser Alshaali, PhD, UAE Ambassador to together leading founders, investors, and policymakers from both nations, the event marked the official unveiling of the Start-up Series trailer to an audience poised with the launch event, the Startup Series, led by Ahmed Aljneibi, Director of the UAE-India CEPA Council, has travelled to eight leading Indian institutions, building partnerships and opening new pathways into the UAE's start-up Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, the Council partnered with the Atal Incubation Centre Mahamana Foundation for Innovation and Entrepreneurship , where rural-tech founders pitched solutions to transform lives and an MoU was signed to formalise future Gurugram, sessions at IILM University and the Master's Union School of Business brought live pitches and a strategic Q&A with the UICC leadership, paving the way for new MoUs linking Indian ventures to UAE journey continued to Bengaluru, where IIM Bangalore's NS Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning hosted deep-dive roundtables on scaling tech and deep-tech ventures, with tailored advice on achieving product-market fit for the GCC. At IIM Calcutta Innovation Park, climate, mobility, and fintech founders explored how the CEPA can accelerate their international Greater Noida, engagements at Galgotias University and the Atal Incubation Centre - Birla Institute of Management Technology spotlighted health-tech, sustainability, and women-led enterprises, with UAE experts offering practical series culminated at IIT Delhi's Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer on August 4, where an MoU was signed, the Start-up Series trailer was premiered, and incubatees showcased their unique and forward-leaning innovations from agri-tech to defence and smart mobility, underscoring the breadth of opportunities awaiting Indian entrepreneurs in the UAE."From Varanasi to Bengaluru, Kolkata to Delhi, I've had the privilege of meeting hundreds of India's most ambitious founders - listening to their pitches, walking through their incubators, and seeing innovation in action. The Start-up Series is more than a roadshow; it's a bridge into the UAE's thriving start-up ecosystem. The partnerships we have signed, the mentorship we are offering, and the market access we are opening will give these entrepreneurs the tools they need to scale globally," said Aljneibi, director of the UAE-India CEPA the conclusion of the nationwide roadshow, the UAE-India CEPA Council's Start-up Series will now move into its next exciting phase. Applications close on August 15, after which 20 of India's most promising ventures will be shortlisted and invited to New Delhi to present their UAE expansion plans before a high-profile panel of experts from both these, five winners will be selected to receive fully sponsored market entry and incubation in the UAE. The prize package will include funded incubation, trade licences, tailored mentorship, and hands-on support to fast-track integration into the UAE's start-up ecosystem under the CEPA unprecedented growth in the UAE-India economic relationship, the Start-up Series is a practical example of how high-level trade and investment gains are being turned into real-world opportunities for bilateral trade surging to $100.05 billion in the 2024-25 financial year and UAE foreign direct investment into India tripling in just two years, the series offers a direct way for innovative Indian ventures to access the UAE's dynamic market, strengthen cross-border supply chains, and contribute to the next chapter of this rapidly deepening a concrete outcome of the UAE-India CEPA, the initiative delivers on Article 13.2 of the accord, which commits both countries to advancing cooperation in the start-up sector through closer links between incubators, accelerators, and related turning this commitment into a working platform for market access, mentorship, and investment, the Start-up Series is transforming the CEPA's ambitions into real opportunities for growth.
Economic Times
a few seconds ago
- Economic Times
Go on, give the Don a bone: Why India must nominate Trump for Nobel, and be tough on issues that matter
What have we learnt in the last six months on how to deal with Donald Trump as he uses import tariffs as a weapon against one and all? We can count five clear lessons. Taarif hi taarif! He loves flattery. He loved Pakistan for nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize for supposedly ending India-Pakistan hostilities. This led him into visions of large oil discoveries off Pakistan's coast, which not even Pakistanis had ever heard of. India denied that Trump had anything to do with the India-Pakistan ceasefire, and this really pissed him off. To recover ground, India must nominate him for the Nobel - for bringing peace to Armenia and Azerbaijan. Few Indians can find Armenia or Azerbaijan on a map. Fewer still know that mainland Azerbaijan on independence got an enclave called Nakhchivan on the other side of its neighbour Armenia. The latest peace agreement provides for a corridor to connect Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan, to be called the Trump Route for International Peace and addition, the two countries have resolved their 37-year dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh. Not earthshaking, you might say? Nevertheless, India must trumpet this as a great feat for which Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. Do not let Pakistan do so before us. We cannot afford to miss out twice. Flattery is fundamental to good diplomacy. That's Enough, If You Would Please In his wide spectrum of tariffs on different countries, Trump has hit the poorest countries with highest tariffs, and rich ones with the lowest. This shows he is determined to use economic strength for maximising his tariff gains. Poor Laos abolished all tariffs on imports from the US. Yet, Trump hit it with a huge 40% tariff, saying it was guilty of other unspecified trade barriers. The EU got away with a maximum 15% tariff on its exports and zero duty for US industrial goods entering threatened China with sky-high tariffs and drawing equally high retaliatory tariffs. China has been rewarded for its tough stance with two successive postponements on Trump's tariffs while negotiations continue. This strengthens the case for India being tough, too, in the politest terms. It should say it will be obliged to impose retaliatory tariffs of 50% if the US does not accommodate India's trade pleas. We must not surrender for no gain like Laos. Realtariff as realpolitik Trump is using tariffs for foreign policy, not just 'fair trading' system. He has raised import tariffs on Brazilian products to 50%. This is largely because of a coup-plot case in Brazil's Supreme Court against former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro, whom Trump sees as an ally. Brazil has retaliated with 50% tariffs of its threat to penalise India for buying Russian oil is again an attack on India's foreign policy. India is determined to have good relations with Russia - it is its main supplier of cheap arms and a reliable ally on most issues in UNSC - even as it avows friendship with the US. India must stand example of Trump's tariffication of foreign policy is his threat to impose 36% tariffs on Thailand and Cambodia if they do not halt their recent border war. If the fighting really stops, that will be another opportunity for India to lionise Trump and nominate him yet again for the Nobel Peace Prize. For a fistful of dollars Trump is using tariffs to garner revenue to control burgeoning fiscal deficit. Let nobody think he merely wants some sort of trade fairness. He says faster growth through his 'beautiful' tax cuts will yield enough revenue to avoid a ballooning public debt. But he knows this is not enough, and seeks to get up to $300 bn through import tariffs. If this works, expect him to increase the dose. From Biden's time, the US had stopped export of high-end chips to China on the grounds of national security. But Trump has just agreed to let Nvidia and AMD export these very chips to China, provided they give 15% of their Chinese revenue as a fee to the US government. This is an unexpected - indeed, astonishing - sale of US national security for some tax shows how important he views the raising of revenue through tariffs. Lesson: India must be prepared for repeated tariff threats in the rest of Trump's term. Keep offshores on our shores Expect future Trump assaults on India on the offshoring of US jobs to GCCs in India. Nasscom estimates that India has 1,700 GCCs employing 1.9 mn people. These are critical for India's future. It must stand firm on GCCs, too. Overall conclusion: India must prepare for repeated attacks by Trump for varied reasons in the next four-odd years. In dealing with them, we need something we can give up in return for the US giving up its demands. We cannot give up farm import barriers for political reasons. Or Russian oil for economic and foreign policy tariffs - or the threat of imposing them - are what we can threaten, and then give up. Stay tough.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
a few seconds ago
- Business Standard
Picking on India: How US tariff move targets Russian oil-linked exports
The country needs energy and Trump knew that when he announced a 25 per cent tariff on much of India's exports for sourcing discounted oil from Russia, which is India's oldest ally S Dinakar Amritsar Listen to This Article Not since the days of Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger has India been berated by global statesmen in the way American President Donald Trump has done — calling this country, the world's fastest-growing major economy, a 'dead economy' and 'tariff king'. India is a country much different today from what it was in the 1960s and 1970s. Then it was forced to depend on the United States (US) for food aid, some of which the US froze when India did not toe its line in the Vietnam war. Today there's a surplus of food grains,
