A Miami hotel has landed in hot water after a viral video showed a virtual check-in experience that’s cased a stir all over internet. At the centre of the uproar: A La Quinta by Wyndham guest being greeted not by a local front desk clerk, but by a remote employee, allegedly based in India.
Originally posted on Instagram and later amplified on X (formerly Twitter), the clip sparked outrage as a symbol of outsourcing — fuelling fears over American jobs being replaced not just by automation but by cheaper overseas labour.
CNBC-TV18 could not independently verify the claims made by traveller Pete Langs, who first posted the video.
In the clip, Langs is greeted via a screen by a man who assists with the check-in process. “Do you need one room key or two room keys?” the employee asks. “Two, just in case I lose one,” Langs replies, before completing the formalities. Langs captioned the post: “Miami virtual check-in at hotels!”
The hotel has not confirmed whether the front desk was officially outsourced or if the assistant in the video was located in India.
‘If you make money in America, you should hire Americans’
The video quickly ignited a firestorm online.
“Miami hotel has outsourced their front desk to India. Guests are checked in virtually on video call with an Indian representative. More American jobs outsourced overseas. At some point this should just become illegal. If you make money in America, you should hire Americans,” one widely circulated tweet read.
Miami hotel has outsourced their front desk to India. Guests are checked in virtually on video call with an Indian representative
More American jobs outsourced overseas. At some point this should just become illegal. If you make money in America, you should hire Americans pic.twitter.com/la8FJZHym3
— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) August 2, 2025
Commenters flooded the post with frustration over the apparent replacement of local jobs with overseas workers.
“Why aren’t we tariffing these foreign phone centres, if not simply outlawing them?” one user asked.
“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,” added another.
“This is disturbing and anti-American,” said one commenter who recalled working front desk jobs in their youth. “I can’t imagine replacing that front desk greeting with an individual in India.”
Outsourcing, immigration, and the Indian talent pipeline
Outsourcing may be controversial, but it’s also widespread.
A Deloitte study found that 59% of American companies outsource work to India, and 80% of US and European outsourcing firms consider India their top destination for IT solutions. The country’s appeal lies in its large pool of skilled, English-speaking workers and lower operational costs.
India’s export services have seen a significant rise, growing from $213.2 billion in 2019–20 to $254.4 billion in 2021–22.
But outsourcing isn’t limited to tech or back-end services anymore. With remote work technologies and automation expanding, even customer-facing roles are being outsourced. That’s a shift many Americans are struggling to come to terms with.
US companies, especially in tech, have increasingly turned to Indian professionals to fill labour gaps in high-skill roles.
In 2023, Indian nationals received 72% of all H-1B visas, followed by 12% for Chinese citizens, according to a BBC report. A majority—65%—worked in computer-related occupations, with a median salary of $118,000.
A Pew Research Center report found that US immigration rose by 1.6 million in 2023, the highest jump in over two decades. Immigrants now make up over 14% of the US population, the largest share since 1910, with Indians as the second-largest immigrant group, after Mexicans.
However, hiring Indian professionals, especially under the H-1B visa programme is neither simple nor cheap. According to a 2024 Forbes report, employers can face over $33,000 in costs to file and extend an H-1B petition, including legal, government, and compliance fees.
Despite the cost, many companies continue to rely on foreign workers due to a persistent shortage of US talent in STEM fields.
Labour market shifts and a shrinking immigrant workforce
The controversy comes amid shifting labour dynamics.
A National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) analysis shows that the foreign-born labour force has decreased by 735,000 since January 2025. Broader figures suggest nearly 1.7 million immigrant workers have exited the US workforce this year.
Meanwhile, automation and cost-cutting pressures are also reshaping service roles.
“This task could be performed by AI. But an outsourced job means a lower consumer price – so I don’t mind making lions local, but are consumers happy to pay higher prices for this change?” one user wrote.
“So American jobs are being taken by Indian people overseas AND AI at the same time,” another said. “Two slaps in the face.”
