Twenty Four Seven Hotels + Uber: Rethinking the hotel shuttle

How Twenty Four Seven Hotels reimagined a key guest amenity—the hotel shuttle—with Uber and made a lasting impression

The hospitality industry is no stranger to competition, and keeping up with the most sought-after and influential amenities is vital for maintaining ongoing guest loyalty.

Take guest transport, for example. To speed up arrival, many guests use Uber to get to and from the airport, and again to get around town. If guests almost instinctively sorted out their own transport, how could Twenty Four Seven Hotels tap into this behaviour, and offer it as a complimentary service?

Prior to working with Uber, shuttles ran whether or not there were guests to ride them. Hotel operations were responsible for the driver’s roster, coordinating pick-ups and drop-offs, and vehicle maintenance. Guests don’t want to wait for a shuttle either; they want to get to their rooms as soon as possible after the flight.

“At Twenty Four Seven Hotels, we’re always looking to improve our guests’ experience. We also pride ourselves on exploring cutting-edge technology, so this was a great opportunity to support our guest service initiatives.” according to David Wani, CEO of Twenty Four Seven Hotels.

Using Uber Central to complete the ultimate guest experience

Twenty Four Seven Hotels integrated Uber for Business’ Uber Central into the operations of over half the hotels in their portfolio, which includes brands by Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt and IHG. Through an all-in-one dashboard, front desk staff can quickly and easily manage rides for hotel guests–no shuttle needed.

“It’s easy for our staff to use—at the touch of a button—reducing logistics and ensuring quick and responsive service to our guests,” explains Alison Sansone, vice president of marketing and communications at Twenty Four Seven Hotels.

Offering Uber brought with it brand recognition, familiarity, and convenience, so guests felt at ease from the moment they stepped off the plane. Rides arrive more efficiently and at the guest’s convenience, just as they’d expect from an Uber trip back home.

With Uber Central, Twenty Four Seven hotel staff can request rides immediately for guests, schedule in advance, or send a link for guests to request a ride when they need it–all compliments of the hotel. All a guest needs to do is request a ride from the hotel staff member. All rides are billed to a single central account paid by each property, making it easy to track individual trips and reconcile invoices.

The result: An increase in guest satisfaction, and significant savings to your bottom line

Take their Moxy Hotel, for example. When Twenty Four Seven renovated and reopened their Tempe, Arizona hotel in 2016, it was exactly this kind of innovation that gave them the chance to run the first U.S. location for this new Marriott brand.

Twenty Four Seven Hotels was responsible for transforming the hotel into a millennial-minded destination, down to the “Moxy” cocktail which came with each room key. For the hotel’s shuttle service, Uber Central was a key factor in ensuring every guest had a positive experience.

Switching from a shuttle to Uber at Moxy Tempe brought with it an unexpected perk beyond guest satisfaction and convenience: a 58 percent year-on-year cost saving, when compared to a hotel-run shuttle bus (in place from 2015 to 2016).

With Uber Central, Moxy Tempe tightened its grasp on scalable transportation needs, allowing instant adjustment for both high-demand days and quieter times. In fact, using Uber as a shuttle replacement really proved itself during off-peak times, where the property achieved over 90 percent year-on-year savings.