There are few things worse during a holiday or business trip than landing and being met by the grim reality of a smelly taxi transfer or an endless rental-car line. Transportation in an unfamiliar region is rarely easy, which is why leading hotels have made it a priority to provide high-quality sets of wheels as part of their guest experience.
The advancement in shared mobility technology and electric vehicles is driving a new definition of the ‘hotel car’. We’re entering a world where guests can check into their hotel and become a member of the onsite electric car, bikes and scooter service. Guests no longer need to hire a vehicle for the entire trip. Instead, they access the hotel’s fleet of electric vehicles for the time they actually need a vehicle.
In a post-pandemic world, there is a renewed need to get tourists into our cities and move them around safely and efficiently. This offers a huge opportunity for hotels to expand their business scope.
Here at Outbound, we’ve recently installed a Tesla Model 3 at Mantra Southport Sharks - which is now considered one of the hotel’s amenities, just like it’s gym, rooftop bar and concierge. The car can be booked by guests using the Outbound app, and is parked on site at Mantra at Sharks, saving the hassle of finding a car rental outlet.
“This is a really exciting development for the Gold Coast tourism industry,” Outbound CEO, Luke Rust, says. “The app is really easy to use - guests just sign up, reserve the car and unlock it using their phone.It’s really handy for anyone wanting to go to the theme parks or take a drive to the Spit or hinterland.”
The new EV at Mantra at Sharks allows tourists to travel to the Gold Coast without driving their own cars and still have the convenience of a personal vehicle.
“People want to maximise their time and fun on the Gold Coast,” Luke says. “Especially with fuel prices going up, a road trip to the Coast is becoming increasingly expensive - with Outbound, tourists can perhaps jet into Coolangatta, stay at the hotel, and still go anywhere they want using the EV.”
Mantra at Sharks is proud to be pioneering the concept on the Coast.
“Mantra at Sharks is the first hotel property on the Gold Coast to launch the Outbound service and we’re excited to offer this mode of transport to our guests,” Front Office & Revenue Manager, Courtney Tahu, says. “This service provides a clean, sustainable transport alternative and also features a facility for guests to charge their own electric vehicle. The process is seamless and intuitive.”
The Tesla at Mantra at Sharks can be rented out for $30 per hour (including insurance and power) so guests only pay for how long they use it.
We’ve got big plans to build on this service at Sharks and deploy in new locations around Australia - so keep an eye out!
