For companies managing high-profile and executive-level travel, ensuring safety and efficiency is non-negotiable. This case study explores how Savoya supports a leading retail company by providing secure, reliable black car service for its executives. Through a combination of experienced chauffeurs, real-time tracking, and a strong focus on safety and operational efficiency, Savoya helps streamline complex itineraries while addressing the unique challenges faced by the company’s security and logistics teams. By partnering with Savoya, the company achieves a higher standard of travel coordination, ensuring that every aspect of their executives' transportation is meticulously planned and executed.
With over 415,000 employees operating across 32 office locations and nearly 2,000 stores nationwide, this retail leader faced the challenge of coordinating ground travel for a highly dispersed workforce. Senior leaders, often accompanied by team members, regularly traveled to conduct store visits, participate in Board of Directors meetings, and manage other leadership-related responsibilities.
The company’s in-house security team, corporate flight departments, executive assistants, and meeting planners require reliable ground travel solutions that prioritize both operational efficiency and traveler safety. Seamless coordination is critical to ensure visibility across travel plans and to maintain the smooth execution of business operations. A dependable travel partner is key to meeting these demands while supporting the company’s extensive operational network.
In 2017, this company turned to Savoya after facing significant challenges with their previous ground travel provider. The primary issue cited during their search for a new partner was the poor quality of chauffeur experiences for their executive team, particularly during store visit trips. Their typical travel setup involves a private aircraft carrying executives and one executive protection officer, who accompanies the group on sprinter vans upon arrival. These vehicles are chosen to accommodate the usual travel group of around eight people, with the executive protection officer sitting up front alongside the driver.
The executive protection team experienced firsthand the deficiencies in chauffeur quality, professionalism, and safety with the previous provider. Issues ranged from vehicle breakdowns and erratic driving to inconsistent driver professionalism, creating serious concerns for the security and comfort of the traveling executives. These issues, particularly with sprinter van chauffeurs, ultimately led the company to switch to Savoya. They sought a partner that could provide reliability, elevated service standards, and seamless operations both globally and at key locations.
When searching for a new ground transportation provider, the company identified chauffeur quality as a critical priority after facing numerous challenges with their previous provider. Specifically, they needed chauffeurs who could ensure both professionalism and safety, two areas where Savoya’s approach aligned with their needs. Savoya’s comprehensive vetting process—encompassing background checks, driving record reviews, confidentiality agreements, and vehicle inspections—helped address these concerns and set a consistent standard for service.
The company’s store visit itineraries often involve multiple stops on tight schedules, many of which can be in less urban areas. This requires chauffeurs with local knowledge and navigation expertise who can efficiently manage complex routes without over-reliance on mapping tools. A leading safety concern for the executive protection team in particular is ensuring that chauffeurs are compliant with not calling, texting, or using their phone during travel and that hands-free device holders are utilized.
The company’s security team plays an integral role in ensuring seamless and secure travel for executives. They are hands-on throughout each trip, calling chauffeurs in advance, meeting them at the FBO before flights arrive, and riding in the front seat on every trip with an executive. To ensure consistency and minimize risk, the security team requires that the chauffeur remain onsite for all-day, multi-stop reservations. Because the security team works so closely with Savoya’s chauffeurs, they provide immediate feedback based on their direct interactions. This helps to maintain the high standards of service required for their security protocols.
Over time, the company has developed a list of preferred chauffeurs based on their experiences with Savoya. These chauffeurs have become trusted partners, building familiarity with the company’s travel needs and consistently meeting their high standards for professionalism, discretion, and attention to detail.
The company’s flight team collaborates closely with the security team, executive assistant team, and Savoya to coordinate all movements related to their private jet flights. To ensure smooth coordination, it’s crucial that multiple stakeholders receive advanced chauffeur details. Savoya provides these details before each trip, including the chauffeur’s name, phone number, vehicle information, and a photo. Sending this information in advance to key individuals, such as executive assistants, the flight team, and executive protection teams, keeps everyone in the loop and eliminates the need for internal communication relays. This ensures that the entire team stays up to date on all trip details, which is hugely important when there are so many coordinators involved in these high-stakes trips.
For the company, leveraging technology for seamless coordination and real-time insights is essential in managing complex executive travel. With real-time monitoring and GPS features, coordinators from various departments, including flight, security, and store operations, can monitor and manage reservations as they unfold. This capability allows the team to track rides, access accurate ETAs, and adjust schedules as needed. For instance, when managing store visits, the security team can coordinate with local store managers to ensure awareness of executive arrivals and timing. If a day includes multiple store visits, the system provides updates on whether the schedule is on track or needs adjustments, ensuring the team can respond quickly to any delays. This technology also supports flight and security teams by providing real-time updates on arrivals, departures, and other key itinerary details helping to ensure smooth transitions between locations and preparation for any unforeseen circumstances.
Through Savoya’s API, the company gained the ability to integrate executive travel itineraries and real-time chauffeur location data into their existing systems. This functionality extended their monitoring capabilities, allowing them to track not only office and store locations but also Savoya vehicle locations. In addition to the physical sites, they now have access to key chauffeur contact details and itinerary information. The primary goal of this integration is to provide their Global Security Operations Center (GSOC) with critical oversight of executive travel plans, enabling them to stay informed about upcoming travel locations. This real-time data enhances their ability to respond quickly in case of an emergency or adverse event, ensuring both the safety and security of their executives during travel.
Today, the company relies on Savoya for a wide range of travel needs, including executive leadership movements, board meetings, day trips, conferences, and more, both within the U.S. and internationally. Through this partnership, the company has streamlined its travel logistics, improving both operational efficiency and executive safety. The integration of real-time tracking, advanced route management, and safety-focused policies has allowed the company to meet the demanding schedules of its executives while ensuring a higher standard of security and reliability.
Additionally, by leveraging Savoya’s technology and highly vetted chauffeurs, the company has not only enhanced the overall travel experience for its leadership team but also gained the ability to quickly respond to unforeseen changes, ensuring smooth and safe transitions between multiple locations. With Savoya’s continued support, the company has strengthened its ability to manage complex itineraries with ease, allowing its executives to focus on their core responsibilities, knowing their travel logistics are in expert hands.
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