Executive day-rate math: when hourly chauffeur beats point-to-point
If you're moving across LA for 4+ meetings in a day, hourly chauffeur is almost always cheaper AND faster than stacking point-to-point rides. The math, with real numbers.
Quick rule: if your day has 4+ stops or 5+ hours of LA driving, hourly chauffeur is cheaper AND faster than booking each leg point-to-point. The math is asymmetric because point-to-point bills the chauffeur's repositioning time between trips back to you in dispatch + drive overhead.
The math, with real numbers
Hypothetical: a visiting executive doing a Tuesday with stops at the Conrad LA (hotel), a Downtown office, lunch in Beverly Hills, an investor meeting in Santa Monica, dinner in West Hollywood, hotel return. Six legs across LA.
Point-to-point (six separate rides):
- Hotel → Downtown office: $75 (short, same area)
- Downtown → Beverly Hills lunch: $110
- Beverly Hills → Santa Monica office: $99
- Santa Monica → West Hollywood dinner: $115
- West Hollywood → hotel: $115
- Subtotal: $514 + gratuity = ~$615 all-in
- Total dispatch friction: 6 separate ride bookings, 6 chauffeurs, 6 different vehicles, 6 different drivers who don't know your day
Hourly chauffeur (one chauffeur, full day):
- 8 hours at $135/hr = $1,080
- Plus gratuity = ~$1,295 all-in
- BUT: chauffeur waits between stops, stages at curb for immediate pickup, knows your day, holds your bags
When point-to-point is actually right
- 1-3 trips in a day: hourly is overkill
- Stops with multi-hour gaps (e.g., morning airport pickup, then nothing until evening dinner): two point-to-point trips, not 8 hours hourly
- Same-zone trips: hotel → restaurant → hotel within Beverly Hills doesn't need hourly
- Solo airport transfers without other meeting context: point-to-point
What hourly actually buys you
Beyond the cost-vs-time tradeoff: hourly means the same chauffeur the entire day. They learn your preferences (preferred routes, music off/on, coffee order, AC temperature). They handle bags between stops without you having to think about it. They stage curbside 5 min before each scheduled departure. The day flows.
For multi-day executive visits, Continental offers a flat daily retainer (called in for a quote) so you have a single number instead of an hourly meter running. Same chauffeur every day. Predictable expense for accounting.
The corporate-account angle
Hourly + corporate account = monthly consolidated invoice. No per-trip receipts, no Concur expense-line chasing, no per-trip approval flow. For a frequent LA visitor, this is the cleaner expense report by far.
Questions about this
What's the minimum hourly booking?
Three hours. Continental's hourly is $135/hour with a 3-hour minimum. So the smallest hourly booking is $405 + gratuity. For days where you'd be doing 1-2 trips that total less than 3 hours of actual driving, point-to-point is cheaper.
Does hourly include the chauffeur's wait time?
Yes — that's the whole point. The chauffeur stays with the vehicle the entire booked window. Meetings run over, lunch goes long, the bar is fun — you don't pay extra. The clock runs from your scheduled pickup to your scheduled drop-off.
Can my admin book hourly on my behalf?
Yes — every Continental corporate account has a designated booker. We confirm with both the rider and the booker. For multi-day executive visits, hourly + retainer + corporate account = one monthly invoice.
What if my day runs longer than the booked hours?
We extend in 30-minute increments. The chauffeur stays unless dispatched to another booking. Most days, we set the booking with 1-hour buffer past your planned end so overflow isn't a billing event.
Is hourly available without a corporate account?
Yes — anyone can book hourly. The corporate account is just the billing cleanup (Net-30, consolidated invoice). Walk-up hourly bookings pay per booking like any other Continental ride.
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