How Pelican Hotel Reduced Time Spent on Payroll by 85%

Challenge

Pelican Hotel, a boutique hotel in Miami Beach, struggled with the challenges of managing payroll and HR compliance in-house. Ineffective internal payroll processes and unreliable third-party providers led to increased risks, inefficiencies, and extra administrative burdens for Lupe Castillo, Pelican’s General Manager, who had to double-check and correct errors. 

“Our in-house team and third-party partners couldn’t keep up with compliance or provide the answers we needed. We needed real expertise—Fourth delivered.” – Lupe Castillo, GM

Solution

Lupe turned to Fourth for a reliable payroll and HR compliance solution to ensure compliance and reduce administrative burdens. Partnering with Fourth’s PEO brought peace of mind to Pelican Hotel through: 

• Streamlined Payroll – Reduced payroll preparation time from 32 hours to just 4 hours, an 85% improvement. 

• Centralized Employee Portal – Enabled self-service access for employees to track PTO accruals and submit time-off requests, while providing management full visibility and eliminating manual processes. 

• Automated Compliance Safeguards – HR specialist proactively monitored compliance risks to ensure adherence. 
• Dedicated Support – A hands-on HR specialist provided thorough onboarding, rapid response, and proactive assistance with unmatched expertise, delivering true peace of mind. 

“Before Fourth, compliance was my biggest concern. Now, with their dedicated support, I have complete confidence that we’re always compliant.” – Lupe Castillo, GM

With PEO, Pelican’s management was able to shift from a manual system to a fully digital, reliable process that saved time and ensured compliance. 

Result

Within just a few months, the impact of Fourth was substantial. The biggest win? Immediate risk reduction and peace of mind, knowing operations were in expert hands. 

Lupe emphasizes that her top priority is maintaining transparency and compliance. With Fourth PEO integrated into her tech stack, she confidently states, “I can now go to bed at night knowing everything is in order.” No more worries about costly compliance mistakes or future audits. 

Additionally, Lupe’s team has experienced key benefits: 

• Time Savings – Payroll processing was reduced from four days to just a few hours, allowing management to focus on operations rather than administrative tasks. 

• Increased Employee Satisfaction – Employees now have direct access to payroll information, eliminating confusion and delays related to PTO accruals, payroll schedules, and tip reporting. As Lupe noted, “Everybody is very pleased. Everyone’s happy—it’s much easier.” 

• Faster Onboarding – New hires can be onboarded in under a minute, with all documents digitally stored and easily accessible. 

• Operational Transparency – Real-time access to payroll data and reporting empowers management to make informed decisions on labor costs and profitability. 

“The system just makes sense. You can do payroll in a fraction of the time, and that’s a game-changer.” – Lupe Castillo, GM 

By partnering with Fourth, Pelican Hotel transformed payroll and compliance from a cumbersome, high-risk process into an efficient, transparent, and legally sound system.