Hawks Cay Resort Shifts Its Fleet into Overdrive with a Comprehensive Transportation Strategy

Purchasing, budgeting and managing a utility vehicle fleet can be a major headache at hotels and resorts.

This is especially true for properties that add vehicles on a piece-meal basis, sometimes department by department, ending up with a mishmash of manufacturers’ models of various ages.

This complicates parts, service, warranty and safety issues and causes monthly budget fluctuations. And every minute a member of your team is struggling with these issues is another minute in which work is not getting done.

In 2014, Hawks Cay Resort, Villas and Marina found themselves in this situation with the utility vehicle fleet they used on their property in Duck Key, Fla.

Situated halfway between Key Largo and Key West, this 60-acre property carries the prestigious AAA Four Diamond Award and is a member of the Preferred Hotel Group Lifestyle Collection.

A recent multimillion-dollar renovation included updates to 177 guestrooms and suites, 15 meeting rooms, the 85-slip marina and all public spaces. It also added a 1,300-gallon saltwater fish tank in the resort’s lobby, an exclusive adults-only area with five private cabanas at the Tranquility Pool, as well as two luxury penthouses and 16 suites.

A Common Problem

Like many resorts, Hawks Cay was trying to do more with less, but their aging fleet was making that difficult. “We were renting vehicles on a month-to-month basis from three different companies,” says resort Manager John Cedillo.

“When we had a problem with a vehicle, we had to check the records and see which company was involved. We also had to maintain an inventory of parts for each model and refer to different users’ manuals and maintenance schedules,” he says.

The resort was paying $9,000 a month to rent the vehicles, and spending $1,000-$2,000 on maintenance. The status quo was unsustainable. Cedillo began soliciting proposals for a new fleet.

Seeking a Comprehensive Solution

“We needed more than vehicles,” he says. “I wanted to partner with a manufacturer that could help us create an effective fleet culture – someone who could teach us the dos and don’ts of using and caring for utility vehicles.”

Yet no one seemed to be offering that. “Other manufacturers could provide adequate vehicles, but no one was offering the training and support we needed,” he says. Cedillo was on the verge of signing a lease with another manufacturer, when Oliver Solórzano, a representative with Jeffrey Allen, an Authorized Club Car Dealer in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., called on him.

Solórzano realized that Hawks Cay had a common problem. “Like many properties, they weren’t seeing the big picture. As a result, they were spending too much money on an uncontrolled fleet,” he says. “This was also increasing their liability.”

After listening to Solórzano’s insights into his problems, Cedillo knew he had the expertise to help him forge a comprehensive transportation strategy.

Solórzano showed Cedillo how, by leasing a brand new fleet from a single supplier, he could reduce downtime and maintenance costs, and budget his expenses to approximately plus or minus 5 percent a month.

Although some organizations make this transition in phases, Cedillo decided to lease an entire new fleet.

Details Make the Difference

Working together, Club Car and Cedillo determined the right mix of vehicles needed to tackle day-to-day tasks and long-term projects. The proposed fleet consisted of seven different models and a total of 55 electric Carryall® utility and Villager™ transport vehicles. The proposal also included three gasoline vehicles for power outages and hauling.

All have windshields and canopy tops. Some are equipped with van boxes, extended beds and lift kits, as needed for their particular application.

Unlike the existing fleet, the new fleet featured deluxe light packages with turn signals, safety triangles and single point watering systems. “These systems prevent employee exposure to acid, avoid brown spots on concrete and extend battery life,” Solorzano says.

Establishing an Effective Fleet Culture

“I knew that the Carryalls were the Mercedes Benz of utility vehicles, but it was the expertise Club Car offered that made me sign with them,” Cedillo says.

That expertise included the development of a modular PowerPoint employee training program just for the property. Solórzano spent a week at the resort before the vehicles arrived, presenting the appropriate modules to 18 groups of employees.

“Most organizations are deeply concerned with employee safety and the liability it presents,” Solorzano says. “So we spent a lot of time discussing those issues.”

They included information on driving in rain, driving with children onboard, safe passenger and vehicle loads, how to attach a trailer, how to safely plug and unplug chargers, how to monitor the battery indicator and know when the controller needs care and more.

“The training was in-depth and covered everything,” say Hawk Cay’s Chief Engineer Lenny Petraska. “There was even a session for people who did not know how to drive.”

Preventive Maintenance

Solorzano created a preventive maintenance check list as well as maintenance logs for the vehicles. By scheduling maintenance for every other Friday, when employees get paid, he developed a built-in reminder for this important function.

“Our preventive maintenance schedule is so much better now,” Petraska says. “And the single point watering system makes battery maintenance easy and prevents overwatering.” His employees can now water a car in a minute. It took 20 minutes per car without the system.

“We are very pleased with the vehicles,” says Petraska. “We love the durable aluminum frames and the ERIC chargers. We had been using four different charging systems, each with its own cables and boxes. And we were having problems with people driving off when the cars were plugged in, creating unnecessary maintenance and downtime. Our new chargers won’t allow the cars to be driven when they’re plugged it. And we’re getting good power and a lot of use between charges.”

The resort is now spending less each month to lease a new professional-looking fleet that’s under warranty than they were to rent and maintain less efficient and attractive vehicles.

“And we have systems in place to manage the fleet and one contact who is deeply invested in the success of our property,” Cedillo says.

“It makes all the difference in the world to partner with a single UTV supplier that offers a great product and a high level of fleet management expertise,” Cedillo says. “For us, it has resulted in a complete culture change that has improved efficiency and safety and cut costs. Our employees now take pride in the vehicles they drive and know how to care for them.”

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