How a utility vehicle can boost your business
What is wrong with wanting to provide your guests with every comfort and convenience?
Nothing. After all, this is the accommodation industry’s ultimate goal and explains the increased demand in golf cars vehicles as transport within hotels and resorts.
People and luggage movers are now common in accommodation complexes throughout Australia and, once the preserve of large resorts, now properties of all sizes are pampering their guests with specialised transport – imagine the impression left on your guest, when you are able to meet them upon arrival and transfer them in safety and comfort to their room, especially for someone with a disability or mobility . This is the ultimate in convenience and comfort.
People and luggage movers are small vehicles that were originally designed to carry golfers and their clubs around a golf course but now they come in a wide range of formats and are marketed for various uses.
In an accommodation complex it is not just the guest that benefits – porters, housekeepers and landscapers get to fulfil their roles quicker and with less effort (and therefore a reduction in injuries). For hot and cold hospitality food and beverages, people and luggage movers are great for room service or for accessing guests in and around the resort and are ideal for delivering catered wedding or function food. Whether it is a tilt tray, flat tray, or something custom made, your ground staff, cleaners, maintenance personnel, rubbish removalists, or even your concierge will
get so much benefit from even the simplest of utilities.
They come equipped with electric, petrol and diesel engines, enabling them to be modified to suit any particular purpose. As such, they can be used as utility vehicles, used to transport small numbers of passengers short distances, or customised to suit various other needs, making them perfectly suited to the accommodation industry.
With so many types of vehicles, applications and custom options available in the market place today though it is very difficult to decide exactly which vehicle is right for you and your particular requirements.
Some of these options include:
• People movers that come in multiple seat configurations and often have small utility trays mounted to the rear of the car in order to carry luggage.
• Utility vehicles come in various styles and sizes and all have different carrying and towing capacities. They contain features suitable for all types of applications, the most popular in the accommodation industry being ground maintenance, luggage movement and point-to-point delivery for housekeeping staff.
• Industrial vehicles that are used in heavy-duty construction are designed to withstand the heaviest of payloads.
• Four by four vehicles suit rough terrain.
• Custom made vehicles are handy if there is something in particular you require from a vehicle. You may need to investigate manufacturers and suppliers that can customise a vehicle for your individual needs.
The unlimited use for these vehicles within the accommodation industry is amazing, not to mention the benefits to your employee health and safety that will result from less heavy manual workloads and the benefits to your time management with the vehicles speeding up menial task work. In addition, the electric vehicles are environmentally friendly, quiet and economic.
When shopping around for a people or luggage mover you need to research carefully, in the same way you would buy a family car. You need to consider the vehicle’s safety record, its cost, its resale value, aftercare, durability, lifespan and quality. The invasion of cheaper vehicles into Australia has meant an increased lack in quality vehicles that will not last in a commercial environment. Therefore you must be selective: “you get what you pay for”.
AMG has selected three of the most respected golf car suppliers to the accommodation industry in Australia to tell you more about their products.
Augusta Golf Cars is the exclusive master distributor of all E-Z-Go, Cushman and Bad-Boy products for Australia. They supply, repair and service hospitality, fleet, consumer, commercial and sports vehicles.
E-Z-Go promotes a passion for customer satisfaction and this is why it has the largest sales and service network in the industry. It is its dedication to excellence that has made E-Z-Go a leading global manufacturer of golf carts and utility vehicles. It specialises in the development of custom vehicles and is keen to provide accommodation providers with whatever is required, however obscure. It has a well-established second hand utility vehicle division, offering a wide range of quality used transports and a large and diverse fleet of rentals, available for both short and long term contracts. It supplies genuine parts for the full range of vehicles offered and a huge range of spare parts and accessories. The onsite support and service facility via its well-equipped service vehicles and highly trained and experienced service personnel is second to none. E-Z-Go only supply and recommend the most highly regarded vehicles in the industry that have been manufactured in the USA.
Darren Woodrow Queensland sales manager for Augusta Golf Cars advises that as an accommodation business relies on its reputation, owners and managers should never risk ruining it by buying potentially substandard people and luggage movers. He says, “At the end of the day the known premium brand names might not be the cheapest in price but they are all priced relatively close together. However they all offer the same level of high quality vehicles, quality parts, quality backup servicing, warranty, and in most cases dealer networks Australia wide.”
It is all about value for money and Augusta Golf Cars believes that it offers the epitome of value and customer service when it comes to supplying people and luggage movers to the accommodation industry. They offer expertise, advice, customisation, top quality and a huge variety of vehicles plus an incredible aftercare service. They know that the vehicles they supply you with not only reflects upon your resort but also on their own business and as a exceptionally respected golf car supplier why would they provide you with anything but safe, high quality vehicles that you are totally happy with, they claim.
Mr Woodrow asserts, “At the end of the day you have to determine how important the safety is, the wellbeing and happiness of your staff and clients in contrast with your hip pocket because the wrong decision when purchasing could end up costing you more in the long run than the money you initially saved on the purchase.”
E-Car Australasia P/L is the Australasian distributor for E-Car by LVTONG – a joint venture company between German and Chinese interest and arguably South East Asia’s largest manufacturer of premium quality electric golf cars, people transporters and utility vehicles. The distribution facility for Australia is based on the Gold Coast in Queensland with a growing network of dealers dedicated to servicing the key markets in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
Phil McKinnon is managing director of E-Car and stresses ” E-Car’s range has now further expanded and we are proud to announce a new range of electric buses, heavy duty utility vehicles, security vehicles, low speed electric cars with doors. These vehicles are no longer ‘just’ a derivative of what was once a ‘golf cart’ they are purpose specific and designed for various activities, especially in the accommodation industry.
“There are many options available which will enable the ability to ‘tailor’ the vehicle specifically to the end user. This new vehicle range has been enthusiastically adopted in a wide variety of countries and applications,” Mr McKinnon says.
Based on advanced German engineering and design, E-Cars feature industry leading U. and European brand electrical and mechanical components such as US-built ADC 48 volt shunt wound motor, genuine US T875 Trojan deep cycle batteries, Italian Graziano spline-less transaxle, automotive style independent suspension with coil springs over hydraulic struts and industrial welded, fully anodized tubular steel chassis. Automotive standard PP body panels fully infused automotive paint finish plus a full light kit, indicators and horn so that the vehicle is compliant for conditional registration. A three-year warranty on all mechanical and electrical components, 10-year warranty on the chassis and two-year warranty on batteries come as standard.
Tom Naffine of NTP Forklifts Australia distributes California-built Taylor-Dunn’s new line of Bigfoot electric vehicles that have a 26cm larger operator’s compartment, adjustable seats, and tilted steering wheel for improved legroom and operator comfort. Available in 36 volt and 48 volt models the new Bigfoot range from Taylor-Dunn is ready for a wide range of work within the hospitality industry. Additional standard features include a GT drive system, 48 volt AC power, Smart View display, hydraulic disc brakes, recessed tie-downs, 12 gauge smooth skin, unitised steel body, LED lighting, cupholders, and a heavy duty all gear drive train that ensures reliability and low maintenance costs.
