Despite the rapid modernization process of Batangas City in the past decade or so, plenty of businesses, including the popular resorts out there, have still yet to harness the benefits of technology. Understandably some parts of the province have difficulty accessing the internet, where most just rely on satellite or mobile data, and even then it's unstable and usually not terribly fast. However, one of the resorts at Lobo, Batangas, recognized the need for a step-up in terms of marketing and brand awareness. Luckily, we were up to the task (plus it was super fun hanging out there, work felt much like vacation).

A Rich History

Punta Malabrigo, believe it or not, has existed since during the second world war. Though not as a resort, more of a family home. Through the years the beautiful seaside land underwent countless changes, improvements to infrastructure. Slowly, cottages were erected, two of them known as 'kubo', the other three had a touch of modernity, at least at the time during the 90s. Fairly recently, the resort had a bit of a makeover, from newer cottages equipped with satellite TV, to an overall office rennovation - fully shedding its old-timey image to embrace a minimalistic up-to-date look.

The resort has found great success not just in the regular sun-loving group of friends and family, but also among celebrities. Some foreigners have also come to visit the little haven of the southern province, much to their delight. Now this is thanks to Punta Malabrigo's Facebook page, which is managed by the staff to pump out marketing material - enticing those who've just finished school for that year's summer, beckoning them for a piece of sun-drenched time with the sea.

The Project's Challenges

They did have a few problems involving their business process. First and foremost was the old-fashioned nature of everything. They didn't run computers to process payments, and there was no database to speak of to store reservations other than a chalkboard in an office. The next problem was infrastructure, as mentioned above, internet access is not just a premium, it's some extraordinary luxury that's near impossibly out-of-reach. Third problem was the staff size and their overall reach. Punta Malabrigo is not some giant corporation with unlimited resources and has connections around the world, no, it's a humble family business still. Finally, fourth problem was technology literacy. Lobo, Batangas definitely has a library with a computer, but it's not enough to teach everyone and that's alright, their lives aren't meant to be soaked in technobabble and social media anyway.

A cloud-based solution with a full-fledged booking system complete with roles and remote access was definitely not the solution. This was expensive, tough to maintain, challenging to implement, and not viable given their location. After much discussion with the admins of Punta Malabrigo, we came up with a solution that wasn't exactly new but the function was brand awareness and a sort of email-based booking system.

Old But Gold Solution

Why not a website? Yeah, you know, the kind that allows people to look at available resort offerings and have a contact form. While not mind-blowing in any way, this required barely any maintenance, was cheap to implement, and it could allow the admins to relay booking information to the Punta Malabrigo staff.

A booking system would definitely be a nice addition to their system, but sometimes that's not what the client needs. We certainly understood that with the few days that we spent there talking to the family that ran the resort.