Hotels are taxed with trying to provide courtesy shuttles for all of their guests. Unfortunately, the rising costs of providing that service and their inability to meet the increasing demands of their guests make an outsourced solution much more financially attractive.
Transportation is not a core service for a hotel. However, the ability to provide transportation is a request that needs to be filled. Traditional Sprinters or Mini Buses, while efficient, are not inexpensive to purchase and maintain.
So these are the 5 top reasons why hotels are outsourcing shuttle services.
1. Cost
Here it is at its most core element. Every hotel is driven by improving their bottom line. Once all costs are factored in, both direct and indirect, it is an easy solution to see why your Shuttle Service should be outsourced. In fact, most hotels estimate a 15-20% save on their overall costs not factoring in any opportunities to actually grow their business through an outsourced transportation solution.
2. To Grow Their Business
All things being equal, the average Corporate or Wedding client is going to choose a hotel that offers the best Shuttle solution. While your simple 10 seat van is nice for routine requests, leveraging your Shuttle Services with a dynamic Corporate Transportation partner would allow groups of one hundred or more feel confident that your hotel can handle their volume. Value-add services always make for a better sales pitch.
3. Improved Branding
How many times have you had to scramble to find somebody to drive your Shuttle? Are they properly trained? Do they go through monthly driver training? By outsourcing your Shuttle Services, you can work with a company that will always have clean, safe vehicles with highly skilled, professional drivers. Your Shuttle Services are an extension of your brand. Let the professionals be a part of that image.
4. Reduced Liability
A true bottom-line cost, guest safety is paramount to an elite hotel operator. However, if the unfortunate does happen, the protection an outsourced Shuttle Service solution provides can be critical to their financial success. Outsourced solutions are often chosen simply due to reduced liability they provide the properties. This is a valuable commodity that can’t be ignored.
5. Reduced Management Stress
The daily grind of staffing and maintaining a Shuttle can become too much for Hotel General Managers. Constant turnover and repairs, renting vehicles when the Shuttles are down and managing unwanted overtime are just a handful of the stress points. By outsourcing your Shuttle Services, you can eliminate the day to day management of your Shuttle by knowing your Corporate Transportation partner has all of this handled.
From cost to liability, outsourcing Shuttle Services has become an industry trend. Focus on core services has become business-critical as the hotel industry becomes even more competitive.
So if reducing day to day stress is important, consider partnering with a Corporate Transportation company that can handle your Shuttle Services while at the same time improving the overall product.