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Americans have a fondness for tech in their vehicles these days, from ride-sharing apps to smart cars like the Tesla S. Driverless cars are arguably the pinnacle of vehicular technology that hasn’t quite happened yet—a sci-fi staple, they have yet to enter everyday reality. Last year, however, Newsweek recently ran an article predicting that driverless vehicles could very well become the norm in the near future, which led us to ask ourselves what that might mean for the ground transportation industry.
The article speculates that due to recent interest in driverless cars, roads full of hand-free vehicles aren’t too far away. In 2012, Google began testing driverless cars, and the company has suggested that they will become available to consumers by 2017. The increasingly popular Tesla is experimenting with car models that steer, change lanes and park without driver involvement, and “Vehicle Intelligence” was a highlight of last year’s Consumer Electronics show. According to Newsweek, these trends are enough evidence to suggest that American consumers will embrace driverless cars, which will in turn ease commutes and render public transportation obsolete. Though the article makes no mention of the ground transportation industry, we can easily extend its logic to taxis or luxury chauffeur service—why hire a chauffeured transportation company when you can call a driverless car, instead?
There are plenty of reasons why, actually. The Newsweek article bases its assertion that driverless cars will become so popular on the assumption that driverless cars remove human error, and thus remove mistakes. But the idea that driverless cars won’t make mistakes is, well, kind of ludicrous. Think about how many computer bugs you’ve encountered in your lifetime. Nearly everyone has experience a hard drive crash due to a software bug or code error: Why would vehicular technology be any different? In fact, this kind of vulnerability is already apparent in many of the “smart” cars out there. Tesla S vehicles have successfully hacked from a remote location, as have many other models of smart car (we wrote a blog examining this worrisome flaw last year).
And this is to say nothing of the vast difference in customer experience that would occur in a driverless vehicle. Such a thing might be convenient, but no matter how sophisticated, a driverless car can’t call you by name, handle your luggage, learn your preferences or offer the warmth and five-star hospitality that professional chauffeurs deliver to each of their guests. Although they might seem convenient, driverless cars, being an automated service, would eventually become no more special than a vending machine, whereas traveling with a professional, courteous chauffeur is an experiences that privileges your unique needs and human connection. Plus, chauffeurs like those at EmpireCLS are specially trained in high-level security, if needed, something that driverless cars are unlikely to fulfill.
A world full of nothing but driverless cars may be an entertaining fantasy, but when it comes to luxury transportation, our chauffeurs are going anywhere. Learn more at http://www.empirecls.com.
Photo Crdit: Mercedes-Benz
In 2015, the ride-sharing industry exploded—that’s an incontrovertible fact. In 2012, these ride-hailing apps were only a blip on the radar of most ground transportation passengers. Over the past few years, however, these apps have gained popularity for their purported convenience, turning ride-sharing into a billion-dollar industry, much like the traditional livery transportation has been for decades.
Inevitably, the rapid growth of ride-sharing led many business analysts and other thought leaders to conclude that taxis were over—done, dead, finito. A flurry of think pieces and infographics rushed in to prove the point, and the trend continued into 2016, with HuffPost’s Business’s latest piece on the subject, titled “2015: The Year The Rideshare Industry Crushed The Taxi,” an article that serves up side-by-side comparisons of ride-sharing apps and the livery industry to support the claim that in 2015, ride-sharing officially rendered the traditional ground transportation industry obsolete.
Some of the information presented in the article and accompanying infographic is accurate. However, much of it is (unintentionally) misleading for ordinary folks who are unfamiliar with the realities of livery services like yellow medallion cabs as well as luxury car service. Let’s start the year off right by clearing up a few of the article’s most glaring inaccuracies.
Claim: Ride-sharing has upended the livery industry for good.
Sure, ride-sharing has shaken things up. But keep in mind that the industry has only been around for three years—it could very well fade into history as a fad, especially with governing bodies cracking down on the notoriously unregulated industry. And the article itself admits that the ground transportation industry “refuse[s] to be shaken.”
Plus, ground transportation companies are catching up to the mobile convenience of ride-sharing apps. NYC taxis plan to test e-hailing for yellow medallion cabs, and the Deem CarService platform (of which EmpireCLS is a part) offers real-time ride hailing, but guarantees that only National Limousine Association members will participate, ensuring a better and safer experience.
Claim: Ride-sharing is safer
This is patently untrue, in our opinion. The article goes so far as to quote Newsweek as saying that ride-sharing saves “hundreds of lives” per year. This claim is probably superficially true in that people who hail ride-share cabs are less likely to drive while intoxicated—a plus in anyone’s view. On the flip side, however, ride-sharing apps still present passenger safety issues that the livery industry has long since addressed.
Uber drivers do not have to be screened for safety, whereas the taxi industry requires that drivers uphold both a Passenger Bill of Rights and Driver Duty of Care. There are also legal issues present in the way ride-sharing apps conduct themselves: These apps are unregulated by the government, and driver safety records and insurance coverage are unavailable. You might not be driving drunk, but you also might be going from the frying pan into the fire.
Claim: Ride-sharing apps have better customer support
The article makes the bold claim that traditional ground transportation offers zero customer support, whereas ride-sharing apps are made to be customer service havens. As a luxury limo service operating everywhere from Denver to DC, we take issue with that. Excellent customer service is part and parcel of how we do business. And there’s enough evidence of ride-sharing apps not taking customer complaints about poor treatment or bad experiences to discredit the claim that they’re the better, more customer-centric option.
Despite the opinions of naysayers, it’s going to take a lot more than a few mobile apps to take down the taxi industry. Keep up with the latest industry news by visiting the EmpireCLS blog.
Photo via flickr
For those in the business travel industry, 2015 wasn’t exactly a banner year, but it wasn’t one to shake our heads over, either. However, at the start of 2016, those in the industry find themselves hoping for a little more promise than last year delivered on. And according to the latest study released by the Global Business Travel Association’s (GBTA) education and research arm, the GBTA Foundation, business travel buyers and suppliers will get their wish.
While the study cautions that no growth explosion is predicted for the coming year, business travel in the US will grow at stable, steady rates. Overall, the portrait the report creates of the near future of business travel is favorable.
Business Travel Inflation: Business travel inflation dropped in 2015, and saw its lowest price growth in recent years this past year. This left it at historically low levels, due to the growing strength of the dollar and rapidly dropping oil prices. The GBTA Foundation reports that this trend will cease in the coming year, and that price growth will return to normal in 2016 and 2017.
US Market Will See Strongest Growth: The growth trend will not happen worldwide, says the GBTA Foundation. International travel will feel challenges due to economic struggles in Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific, all of which weighed down growth in 2015. North American and Western Europe’s economics were stable, however, and the report states that this trend will continue in 2016.
US travel, however, will grow. The rate of growth will be small, cautions the GBTA Foundation, but steady: 3.2 percent (299.9 billion) in 2015 and 3.5 ($310.4 billion) percent in 2017.
Group Travel vs. Individual Travel: Group business travel did slightly better than individual travel activity in 2015, says the GBTA Foundation. In 2015, individual travel only grew at a tiny .4 percent, but the study predicts that it will make a comeback in 2016.
Price-Driven Growth: The travel industry’s steady growth in 2015 will be mostly driven by price, not transaction level increases. Out of six major categories, only airfare will decrease in price, while Lodging, food and beverage, ground, rental cars and “other” travel categories are all poised to grow at anywhere between 2 and 5.2 percent, with rental cars and lodging being the sectors poised for the highest growth. Ground transportation (like limo service in Denver) falls in the middle, at 2.6 percent.
As a luxury chauffeur service, we’re pleased to hear know the industry is posed to continue to expand in 2016, and we’re looking forward another successful year. Keep up with travel industry news and changes by visiting our blog at http://www.empirecls.com/blog .
What was the biggest luxury trend of 2015? Over the past year, we’ve reported on several of them, from the possibility of electric cars becoming popular in chauffeur services to the need for brands to focus on customer engagement. Maybe the right question to ask isn’t about the biggest, but the best: What trend really made us pay attention? According to a recent review by the watchmakers at Quill & Paid, the year’s most significant luxury trend wasn’t material or technological. Simply put, 2015’s luxury market will be remembered for its philanthropic efforts.
Quill & Pad’s review notes that in a world rocked by strife, giving back was a crucial duty for those in luxury industry, and three brands in particular gracefully stepped up to the plate. Let’s review their accomplishments, and how they made the world a kinder place in 2015.
Liberty United & Fonderie 47
Peter Thum is by far the most famous of humanitarian entrepreneurs—in fact, he could easily be credited with being the first. Thum made a name for himself as the founder of Ethos Water (a brand you probably recognize from your regular run to Starbucks), the sales of which are directed towards direly-needed clean-water projects in Africa. After selling Ethos to Starbucks, Thum founded Liberty United and Fonderie 47, two companies with an innovative approach to solving the issue of gun violence.
Liberty United is a contemporary jewelry line that comes from a startling source: Illegal guns and bullets taken off the American streets. The transformation of weaponry to jewelry is visually striking, and the purchase of each bracelet, necklace, cufflink or other piece funds efforts to remove guns and bullets from American streets, particularly in places where children are at risk.
In a similar vein, Fonderie 47 makes luxury lifestyle items out of destroyed AK-47s. The AK-47 is the most widely used assault rifle in the world, and causes thousands of deaths due to its ease of use and widespread availability. Fonderie 47 products like the Inversion Principle watch and the Peerless fountain pen—both made from components of destroyed AK-47s—raise awareness of the proliferation of assault rifles, especially in Africa, and the purchase of either contributes to the destruction of assault rifles. So far, the efforts of Fonderie 47 have already taken 50,000 AK-47s out of circulation.
A. Lange & Söhne
A. Lange & Söhne is a prestigious German watchmaker with a longstanding reputation for fine timepieces. In 2015, they proved that they are just as dedicated to social responsibility as they are to craftsmanship.
Among one of the many struggles to hit 2015 was what is arguably the largest refugee crisis in decades. A. Lange & Söhne decided to do something about it: On the occasion, of the 200th anniversary of the company’s founder’s birth, A. Lange & Söhne announced that in lieu of press gifts for attendees of the celebration, they would instead provide five refugees recently arrived in the country with German lessons.
In the past year, Germany has taken in over one million displaced people, who now face the struggles of integration. As language is one of the major barriers to adapting to any new culture, the help provided by A. Lange Söhne is invaluable. Additionally, once they learn the language sufficiently, they will also be provided with schooling as watchmaker apprentices.
Kobold Watch
Michael Kobold is another watchmaker who deserves a mention for his humanitarian efforts in 2015. In April of last year, a series of earthquakes devastated Kathmandu and other regions of the country of Nepal. Michael Kobold had already been at work to help the country’s struggling fire department, and after the disaster, he founded the Soarway Foundation, now dedicated to efforts in rebuilding Nepal and providing humanitarian relief.
We are thankful for the efforts of these humanitarian entrepreneurs and other non-profits, like those our luxury limo service in NYC partners with, for making the world a better place. Learn more about the non-profits that EmpireCLS partners with here.
Photo Credit: Liberty United
On January 14th, General Motors officially opened its brand-new Cadillac factory in China, signaling the possible start of growth in the country’s auto industry. Cadillacs have been sold in China since 2004, and the country’s auto market is currently the largest in the world by vehicles sold, despite recently slowed overall sales growth. The $1.2 billion factory will have the production capacity of 160,000 vehicles per year—a number that bespeaks GM’s optimism about the market.
Although the luxury market shows no sign of shrinking, and China’s luxury market in particular is one that has developed rapidly over the past several years, the factory’s opening still might seem like a bold move. As noted in a recent Associated Press article, China’s luxury market is already “crowded” with the likes of other luxury automakers such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
As a provider of luxury car service from Washington DC to Shanghai, EmpireCLS always has an eye on luxury vehicle news. Here are some highlights from the latest news about China’s new Cadillac factory, as reported by ABC News:
The Factory Introduces A New Model to China: Two models are already manufactured in Shanghai: The XTS (a model with Magnetic Ride Control suspension technology, a V6 engine and luxury appointments that we already use in our chauffeur service) and the ATSL. This month, the new GM factory, built in partnership with Shanghai Automative Industries Corp., will begin producing the CT6 sedan.
The CT6 is a five-passenger sedan that boasts a V6 engine and 400 horsepower, plus 400 pound-feet of torque and an eight-speed transmission. The car is touted as the American answer to German engineering (expertly timed in light of the recent Volkswagen scandal), and, despite its size, has already been assessed as a powerful vehicle. This appeal alone might suffice to drive its sales in China.
Last Year, Vehicles Slowed, But Cadillac Soared: In 2015, the growth of the global luxury vehicle market slowed to 7.3 percent. However, sales of Cadillacs seemed unaffected by this general trend. Sales of Cadillacs in China actually rose 17 percent, with just under 80,000 vehicles driven off the lot.
More Growth Predicted: As the market is predicted to pick up, so are vehicle sales. Matt Tsien, president of GM China, has a particularly optimistic prediction for the next few years. According to Tsien’s projections, luxury vehicle sales could grow to 3.5 million vehicles per year by 2020.
Industry analyst Bill Russo, at Geofeng Advisory Co., added credence to Tsien’s predictions, calling China “the highest growth opportunity in the world” that offers “a lot of margin opportunity.” With the introduction of a new (and much anticipated) Cadillac model, the CT6, the Chinese luxury market might see some much-needed growth. And since the global vehicle industry looks to China to drive revenue, vehicle sales might get a boost worldwide.
Keep up with luxury auto industry news by visiting the EmpireCLS blog or following us on Twitter and Facebook.
Photocredit: Autoweek USA
Lately, we’ve been investigating interesting vehicle and luxury trends, from the spending habits of the elite to the influx of smart-tech cars like the Tesla S. But we haven’t yet reported on trends in what we know best: our own business. Naturally, it’s part of our job to know industry trends, part of which involves taking note of what our customers want.
One trend, in particular, has caught our attention, partly because it seems paradoxical. When it comes to choosing from one of the many models in our luxury fleet, our customers tend to prefer the Mercedes-Benz, making it the most-requested luxury sedan in our fleet. There’s much to love about the Mercedes, from its sleek styling on down. This beautifully crafted, meticulously engineered vehicle offers as much style as it does safety (with a rating of five stars, just like every other vehicle in our fleet) and performance.
However, our customer’s preference for the Mercedes-Benz isn’t being reflected in market trends. In fact, sales of the BMW are overtaking those of both Mercedes-Benz and Lexus vehicles. This led us to ask why consumers prefer the BMW when they’re driving it, but not when it’s part of their chauffeured travel experience.
There’s much to love about the Mercedes-Benz, but what puzzled us about this discrepancy is that we know from experience that driving the BMW is just as luxurious an experience as driving as Mercedes. Maybe we’ve been keeping that experience to ourselves too much, and it’s time to share why we love this vehicle so much.
The BMW has long been touted as the “ultimate driving machine”—a perfectly calibrated feat of legendary German engineering, smooth performance, effortless handling and superior vehicle safety. Our chauffeurs get to experience the BMW difference nearly every day, which explains why we were initially puzzled by the fact that despite its popularity on the market, the BMW isn’t requested as much as the Mercedes by our customers. The driving experience isn’t there, at least not right in front of them. However, our guests are still experiencing the “driving machine” power of the BMW, even if indirectly. Things like the BMW’s sophisticated styling and self-leveling suspension create a passenger experience that’s just as luxurious as traveling in a Mercedes-Benz.
We’re not ones to dictate personal preference, of course. However, at the start of this new year, let us be the first to suggest that if you haven’t given the BMW a try, now is it the time to test out something new. See how you like it—you might be surprised. And let us know about your experience on our Facebook page or by dropping us a line at sales@empirecls.com.
Photo Credit: flickr
Sophistication and elegance are all hallmarks of the most coveted Manhattan wedding venues, not to mention stellar, five-diamond service that makes the special day seamlessly perfect. Many of our New York City luxury hotel partners are beloved by the Manhattan set for their potential as beautiful wedding venues, and several offer packages tailored for the big day, including the Lotte New York Palace. If there’s a wedding cake in your future, you can have it and eat it at the Palace.
The Lotte New York Palace boasts over 24,000 square feet of space to host a beautiful wedding ceremony in one of the city’s stateliest buildings. Commissioned in the 19th century, the Palace’s Villard Mansion is a testament to the Gilded Age of New York with its wrought iron gate and classic architecture. The hotel’s most recent addition is the Tower, a contemporary building that houses some of the city’s most beautiful suites.
The Palace prides itself on impeccable style and quality service, aiming to meet the standards of its most discerning guests. Nowhere is this commitment to excellence more obvious than in the hotel’s carefully curated wedding packages. The Palace offers two, with plenty of room for customization to match the expectations for anyone’s dream wedding.
The hotel’s wedding packages include complimentary suites for the bride and groom, complimentary room upgrades for the bride and groom’s parents, convenient early arrival, butler service and use of the hotel’s elegant courtyard for photographs. The Villard Ballroom package includes a wedding cake by celebrity chef Ron Ben Israel. Each package is customizable, and couples can work with the Palace’s world-class team of wedding planners to create an unforgettable ceremony and reception. From the enormous Drawing Room to the intimate Library, there’s something for weddings of every size and style.
One of the Palace’s most winning attributes is that in addition to being a sumptuous venue that boasts gorgeous Beaux-Arts architecture with lush carpets, dark wood paneling, gilding, mirrors, fine art and delicate floral arrangements, the sprawling hotel has no lack of unique rooms to serve as ceremony and reception venues.
Learn more about our luxury hotel partners at http://www.empirecls.com/partners.
Photo Credit: Booking.com
Out of everything that goes into wedding planning, from the bridal party’s eveningwear to the flower arrangements, the most important part, in our opinion, is choosing a beautiful, unique venue that reflects your personal taste and your biggest dreams for your life as a couple.
If you’re planning your wedding for next year, here’s five of our favorites. Even if there aren’t any nuptials in the foreseeable future, it’s never too early to start dreaming!
2. New York City Public Library, NYC
A civic building might not be your first idea for a luxury wedding venue, but don’t overlook this stately building in the heart of Manhattan. The Library’s neoclassical architecture and elegant marble interiors have made it as popular a setting for films as it is for the weddings of the Manhattan elite. Set up your wedding photos on the staircase steps, or meet your party in the beautiful landscape of nearby Central Park.
3. Franklin Park Conservatory, Columbus
Columbus, Ohio is another location that you might not immediately associate with luxurious weddings. But think again: this stunning conservatory has four unique venues to choose from, all bursting with so much foliage that couples can practically skip the flower arrangement altogether.
By far, the most opulent option in the conservatory is the John F. Wolfe Palm House, so named for its plethora of tropical plants that create a striking, exotic ambiance. The sunlight that streams through the House’s glass ceiling and its elegant Venetian fountain make for an especially touching ceremony and beautiful photos.
4. Dunton Hot Springs, Colorado
Sometimes, all you need for luxury is a pristine landscape, which is exactly what Dunton Hot Springs in Colorado has in spades, from the wide-open blue sky to towering pines and miles of rugged, mountainous terrain. This rustic ghost town is nestled in the heart of a verdant valley, dotted with wooden cabins and natural hot springs.
5. Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Miami
This Italian-inspired villa, a historical gem from Miami’s early 20th century business boom, is one of the most romantic in the United States. Guests can get pleasantly lost (but not too lost) in the labyrinthine of gardens, and there’s not a single spot in this waterfront venue that won’t be part of perfect wedding memories. And if you’re planning your honeymoon nearby, Miami’s nightlife and beaches are just a short drive away.
Need wedding transportation once you choose your venue? EmpireCLS has you covered. Visit our online booking center to learn more or to reserve a luxury limo in NYC or dozens of other cities across the globe.
We’re the first to admit that in the age of on-demand apps and mobile immersion, the luxury market has been slow on the uptake when it comes to things like mobile sites and integrated apps.
The need for convenient mobile platforms has certainly been on luxury service providers’ minds—after all, seamlessly meeting their customers’ needs is the goal of any luxury brand. However, luxury doesn’t just meet needs, it exceeds them, and creating mobile apps that go far beyond expectations requires more time to develop than on average.
So while it’s true that the recent trend of emerging mobile apps for luxury service providers is a few years behind the initial wave, we think the wait is well worth it. Take, for example, the Four Season’s brand’s announcement this summer that it would launch a mobile app that unites over 90 of its hotel properties under one platform. As one of the leading luxury brands in the world, Four Seasons certainly hasn’t lacked for the resources to develop such an app. However, the ambitious scope of what they envisioned for users required a long-haul approach to development.
The Four Season app is designed to be a global, multi-lingual one-stop-shop for all of guests’ needs throughout their entire experience, including before they even arrive at their hotel. The app not only encompasses room reservations but also check in/check out, luggage pick-up and airport transfers. Guests can also arrange on-site services like room services, dining and spa treatments if they so wish. Furthermore, the app’s scope expands points of interest surrounding the hotel, giving guests personalized recommendations for dining, shopping, cultural pursuits and sight-seeing.
While the Four Seasons app is an exciting step forward, luxury hotel and travel providers still need to catch up—62% of luxury hotel brands lack either a mobile site or an app. However, strides are being made. For example, the Carservice app from Deem (in which EmpireCLS is proud to be included) will allow for both advance booking and real-time ride hailing from NLA-member luxury car service providers from Washington, DC to Los Angeles. Other luxury brands will likely follow suit—not a moment too late nor too soon.
In what seems like an endless progression of intriguing disruptions in the luxury market, global vehicle brand Hyundai announced in the beginning of November that, after years of consideration, it would officially launch a luxury subbrand separate from the mainstream Hyundai line.
Dubbed Genesis, the brand will target young, upscale and progressive buyers with luxury designs and, perhaps more importantly, luxury service.
A luxury subbrand has been in the works for Hyundai for some time. Meanwhile, the mainstream brand continued to perfect its models and ascend up the luxury scale. As a result, Hyundai’s brand strategy for Genesis is a bit different than that of other mass-market manufacturers who have branched out into luxury models.
It has become de rigeur for luxury subbrands to be marked by technological wizardry, with features like built-in GPS navigation, infotainment systems and other “smart” features that enhance the driving experience with constant technological connectivity. It’s not that we don’t enjoy the luxury tech integration of say, a Tesla S, but even the best of these luxury vehicles run into problems like system hacking or a neglect of exterior design appeal.
What’s more, we’re of the opinion that luxury design means nothing without luxury service. Our own fleet includes some of the finest vehicles on the market, backed by consistent maintenance and detailing, but our calling card has always been a patently comfortable, safe and elegant driving experience combined with impeccable, five-star levels of customer service.
Hyundai, clearly, is of a similar view. As a means of distinguishing Genesis from other luxury subbrands, Hyundai has transferred the focus from technological advancement to the more old-fashioned values of attention, support and service.
Genesis buyers will be treated to a heightened level of customer service from their first showroom visit onward. Dealerships licensed to sell the Genesis line will be under agreement to offer heightened levels of support for buyers. Owners of Genesis models will also enjoy perks like the “Your Time, Your Place” concierge service, a valet service that picks up and drops off vehicles from and to owner’s homes for service.
Hyundai plans to launch the line’s sedan and full-size car—named the G80 and G90—for the model year 2017. This gives us plenty of time to think about whether we’d like to add something similar to our fleet. But first we’d like to ask your thoughts. Do you think Hyundai can succeed as a luxury brand? Is it something you’d like to see in the EmpireCLS fleet? Let us know at sales@empirecls.com.
Photo Credit: loubeat via flickr
