Zenique Hotels replaces airport shuttles with Uber and saves 30%

The La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham San Jose Airport, owned and operated by Zenique Hotels, is located in the heart of Silicon Valley and serves a busy clientele in town to attend meetings and events and see attractions nearby. Guests rely on the hotel to help them get to and from the airport. But although the airport’s runway is visible from the hotel property, the 3-mile drive to the terminals is 10 to 15 minutes, depending on traffic.

For years, the hotel offered an airport shuttle service every 30 minutes as a courtesy to its guests. Recently, the hotel staff noticed that guests were becoming increasingly frustrated when they had to wait, and there was confusion around how often the shuttles came.

“We have become an on-demand society, and people don’t want to wait for a shuttle these days,” says Rupesh Patel, President and COO, Zenique Hotels. “With Uber for Business, we are able to offer them a ride exactly when they need it.”

The hiring market in the San Jose area is very competitive, and many of the shuttle drivers the hotel found were under 25 years old. Given that auto insurance is harder to secure and more expensive for young drivers, this increased the cost to insure them.

“The insurance, maintenance, and general ownership costs of our shuttle vehicles definitely added up,” says Patel.

The hotel’s front desk staff can easily request rides for guests and send them ride information from the Uber Central dashboard. Upon arrival at the airport, La Quinta guests contact the front desk and an Uber ride is requested. The ride details are sent by SMS, so the guests don’t need the Uber app or even a smartphone to receive them. They can also request rides back to the airport.

“The front desk staff really like how intuitive Uber Central is to use and how quickly they can request a ride for a guest,” says Patel. “The previous shuttle set-up could be frustrating for everyone, and we are so glad we found a new solution to replace it.

With Uber for Business in place, the hotel has streamlined airport transportation for guests and spent 30% less than its previous shuttle costs.

“Our overall goal is to provide a stellar customer experience, and Uber for Business helps us deliver it while gaining significant cost savings,” says Patel. “It also gives hotels without a shuttle service the opportunity to serve the same need.”

For more information about Uber for Business, please visit www.uber.com/business.