How Luxury Operations Can Catch Up In Business Travel
Two corporate travel executives explain how providers can adjust to shifting demands and preferences.
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Biggest success: Daniel Paulson, owner of Lap of Luxury, recently finished upfitting his latest vehicle, a 32-passenger Trident Spectrum with a 3-D television, WiFi, Playstation 3, and Bose home theater system. “With each vehicle we add, we make subtle improvements that add comfort and functionality that our customers love,” Paulson says.
Client types: Lap of Luxury has a diverse client base that ranges from corporate and executive travel to party goers, proms, and weddings. Children’s parties and senior citizen outings have also become more popular.
Customer service approaches: “An event in our vehicles is more like an ocean cruise than a limo ride,” Paulson says. “We often have an onboard concierge and take pride in being more than just your transportation to and from an event.”
What he did before: Paulson was working as a piano tuner when one day he had a client who needed last-minute transportation for her music troupe. She knew Paulson had a 15-passenger Chevrolet van. “I stopped my tuning and went to pick up the artist and returned to finish my work,” he recalls. “After that, I was receiving regular calls from the arts center and their artists when they were in the area.”
Marketing strategies: Partnering with other local limousine companies has helped his business. When clients call asking about vehicles not in the Lap of Luxury fleet, he farms out. Then, vice versa: When other limo companies receive calls for large coaches or Sprinters, they refer them to Lap of Luxury. “This helps us access each other’s customer base without stepping on each other’s toes,” Paulson says.
Lessons learned: Overbooking. “Starting out, I never wanted to turn down a booking. But now I’ve learned how to manage my drivers and vehicles to maximize the amount of jobs while allowing enough time for cleaning, maintenance and traffic.”
Reasons for success: Paulson credits a commitment to customer service. Customers often tell him that Lap of Luxury anticipates the needs of clients so that they are impressed. “What better success can you have but expressions of praise and gratitude from your clients and peers?”
Limo likes: The gratitude from clients after a job well done is what Paulson says he likes most. After a recent wedding, where many changes occurred leading up to the date that made scheduling more difficult, and a thunderous rain cancelled portions of the wedding pictures, the clients still told Paulson that the service from Lap of Luxury was impeccable throughout. “That genuine gratitude is why I love this business,” he says.
Technology: Lap of Luxury uses mobile card readers for convenience and ease of payment for clients. Paulson also plans to install Drive Cam systems in all of the vehicles.
Future plans: Paulson hopes to expand operations into other areas of the country and also do more events coordinating. “We want to ensure events that we are involved in go smoothly from start to finish, so we’ve been building a roster of our own photographers, florists, and preferred event halls that will make for a much more reliable and convenient experience for our customers.”
Fast Facts:
Lap of Luxury Land Cruises
Location: Fairfield, N.J.
Founded: 2012
Main service region: New Jersey/New York
Vehicle types: limo buses/ Sprinters
Fleet Size: 4
Employees: 5
Annual revenues: $500,000
Website: www.lollandcruises.com
Related Topics: limo buses, motorcoaches, New Jersey operators, New Operator, small-fleet operators, Sprinter
Two corporate travel executives explain how providers can adjust to shifting demands and preferences.
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