There are many people who likely see chauffeured transportation as a luxury or maybe even a little pretentious. There are probably some corporate travel bookers that see chauffeured transportation as an unnecessary and lavish expense. Chances are that the booking agent has never actually lived life on the road or experienced the benefits of having a driver take care of the driving while executives take care of business while riding.
Let’s take a look at the practicality of chauffeured transportation for travel. The most obvious benefit is time. Riding in a car between the airport and hotel can become productive time to brush up on a presentation one last time before meeting with a client, work on an expense report, answer emails, make client calls and take care of other important tasks.
Whether you are traveling for business or pleasure, once you have experienced an airport drop-off or pick-up using a car service, you will never drive yourself to the airport again. For starters, you have no hassle with finding a parking lot or parking space or the need to ride a parking lot shuttle bus. You have no expensive parking fees to greet you upon your return. You are dropped off and picked up at the curb saving a ton of time. Your chauffeur handles the loading and unloading of luggage and drops you off conveniently at a skycap desk where curbside check-in is completed and the wait to print a bag tag and drop off luggage on a conveyor belt is eliminated.
Having a chauffeur is like having your own personal tour guide, concierge, bellman and host all wrapped into one person. If you need to grab a bite to eat before your presentation or hotel drop off, your professional chauffeur can deliver you to the best Italian, Mexican or Jewish restaurant in the city. Need some copies made? Your chauffeur can and will take care of that task for you while you dine. Want to take your new client to the best steakhouse in his town but you don’t have reservations? Even in places that are difficult to get into, it is highly likely that a professional chauffeur can get you in to any place you would like to go.
While renting a car might be an option for the corporate traveler, it creates additional expenses and lost time. There is the time spent getting to the rental car desk, completing paperwork and then navigating an unfamiliar area which presents a safety risk for travelers. Chauffeurs know how to reroute around traffic areas to save time and keep you on schedule. Renting a vehicle that will spend most of the time parked adds unnecessary expenses such as the cost of the rental, insurance, refueling and paying for parking. Add the additional time spent checking the car in and out and renting a car becomes a significant cash drain that likely will exceed the cost of a car service that provides much more practicality.