Transportation service: going beyond the typical airport trips

The Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville has a fleet of eight buses, four coaches and several Chevy Suburbans.

More hotels are offering more value-added services for their guests and that includes shuttle or bus transportation beyond the standard pick-up from the airport and return to the airport. More hotels are offering transportation to local attractions, whether it’s shopping, museums or sporting events.

Daniel Rhodes,GM of the Hilton Baton Rouge (La.) Capital Center, uses the hotel’s shuttles to take guests to local attractions and to major events, such as game-day transportation to Louisiana State University, and to country music events.

“We do a lot of leisure business here so it only makes sense for us to offer these types of services to our guests,” he said. “We also are in a location with nearby proximity to attractive destinations.”

The Hilton Baton Rouge often transports bridal parties and wedding guests to and from the hotel, churches and reception sites as well. Recently the hotel had a movie crew of about 60 people stay at the hotel for about five months, with a lot of filming at night. The hotel had a lot of shuttle demand during that time, taking the crew to various spots, such as gyms, during non-filming hours.

“We learned a lot when the crew was with us,” Rhodes said. “We learned what to offer guests, what attractions are important, and where people from out of town want to go.”

Stacey Nichols, GM of the Hyatt Regency Cambridge (Mass.), said her hotel has learned a lot too about where guests want to visit in Cambridge and in Boston. The Hyatt Regency Cambridge has two 12-passenger shuttles. The hotel provides complimentary service to shops and restaurants, the local mall, corporations, businesses, and to several subway stops.

The hotel also honors special transportation requests. Nichols said the hotel often takes guests to the Museum of Science and Industry. Those are based on availability but it offers one more extra service to complete the hotel’s AAA four-diamond status.

“We have flexible schedules so we can offer guests exactly what they need,” she said.

Rhodes agreed that flexibility on the part of the hotel and the guests is key for a successful transportation program. With a full-service hotel model, he said being creative with the staff is helpful. At the Hilton Baton Rouge, the bell staff runs the shuttles.

“Our bell staff has significant depth,” Rhodes said. “We’re fortunate that we’re a college town and we can be selective with the students we hire.

Gaylord Opryland builds comprehensive fleet

When the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville had to close last summer for flood damage repairs, the resort took the opportunity to evaluate the way it viewed its transportation fleet, said Derek McCann, head of transportation. The resort’s shuttle bus leases expired at the end of 2010 so the company asked itself if it still needed to be in the transportation business, and if so, how to do it best for its guests.

When the resort reopened, it did so with eight 2011 56-passenger buses, four 26-passenger Glaval coaches, and several Chevy Suburbans.

“We own the experience from start to finish—we have full control of what the guest experiences,” McCann said. “It allows us to do a variety of different things for the client. We can be that one-stop shop for meeting and convention planners.”

One hundred percent of the resort’s large fleet is Americans with Disabilities Act compliant.

The resort does offer the traditional airport service but also offers tourist stops to downtown Nashville, local sporting events and to the nearby Jack Daniels distillery. The resort also offers customized runs. Gaylord Opryland has even done runs out of state and has picked up convention attendees in other cities.

Recently the resort had to get 1,400 guests to one off-site event and another 400 guests to a different event—all in a little more than an hour.

“We are a full-service transportation company,” McCann said. “If we have a $6-million fleet available, we want it to be used as much as possible.”

The group rents out the fleet to schools, churches, local businesses and others and partners with other bus companies for events such as the Country Music Marathon.

“The business remains local and it’s a win for the city of Nashville,” McCann said. “We partner the best we can with all the other local businesses and keep business local—we do what’s best for the city. We want to be the best corporate citizen we can be.”

Due to the variety of different vehicles, McCann said Gaylord Opryland has been able to use the right equipment at the right time.

“The diversity of our fleet has allowed us to right-size the guest request,” he said. “In the past we might have sent a larger, 56-passenger bus but now we can send the 26-passenger one so it works best for everyone.”

Use guest input to set transportation policies

Offering guests transportation to local attractions can be a good opportunity for hoteliers but it is a big investment for any property. Make sure you have the right equipment, personnel and management in place to manage the process.

“If you’re in the right market, and as long as you understand what your market is, you probably have a great opportunity,” said Derek McCann, head of transportation for Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville. “It does make you more attractive to guests and meeting and convention planners and there are great revenue opportunities there as well.”

Stacey Nichols, GM of the Hyatt Regency Cambridge in Massachusetts, said hoteliers really find out from guests where they are looking to travel to and what they are looking for before forming transportation routes. Don’t assume your guests want to just go to shopping areas—make sure you find out for sure.

“You’d be surprised at where guests really want to go—that’s why surveying the guests is great,” she said.

Nichols also suggested putting together a well-thought-out route and accommodating as many routes as possible to offer the variety your guests might request.

Daniel Rhodes, GM of the Hilton Baton Rouge (La.) Capital Center, suggests limiting the physical areas where the property will provide transportation and to make sure your staff has the knowledge of those locations.

“An engaged, appropriately sized staff is key,” he said. “You need enough depth to pull it off well, to ensure the guest feels that hospitality of your services.”