Rolling out super-luxury chauffeurs

Owning a Rolls-Royce is considered an achievement for buyers anywhere in the world, but the complete experience also includes being chauffeured around by drivers who understand excellent driving etiquette and sound handling practices for this super-luxury marque. 

After paying close to a whopping Bt40 million for a Rolls-Royce Phantom Extended Wheelbase, one might wonder whether the chauffeur has what it takes. That’s why the esteemed British carmaker has introduced a pilot series of chauffeur workshops in the Asia-Pacific region. 

In Thailand the British marque is represented by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Bangkok. According to Rolls-Royce, the “White Glove Programme” is the first of its kind in this region, and comes as a complimentary package for the ultra-rich who purchase a new Rolls-Royce car. 

While many owners in the United States or the UK drive their Rolls, customers in Asia prefer to be chauffeur-driven, says Andi McCann. 

McCann is the company’s approved VVIP chauffeur, chauffeur and etiquette trainer, product expert, as well as chauffeur for the board of directors, CEO and chairman. He is highly experienced in working with chauffeurs and racing drivers, including two Formula 1 world champions. 

High-end luxury coaches are driven by three types of drivers – fleet drivers, private drivers and manufacturer drivers (such as BMW, Bentley and Rolls-Royce). It is important they know how to handle the car in all situations and follow every etiquette, he pointed out. It even starts before actually driving the vehicle, as the appearance of the driver also plays an overriding role in the confidence of the passengers. 

“While in Asia a chauffeur’s uniform may be a little different due to the weather, in UK the standard outfit is a black suit and tie [with a Windsor knot] as well as well-polished leather shoes with leather soles,” McCann said. 

There are also restrictions on cellphone use. The Bluetooth connection should never be switched on as passengers could hear incoming calls or messages, while earpieces are also not recommended as they “look too Star Trek”. 

“It is customary for drivers to offer passengers anything they want during the journey, but always making sure you offer only what you have,” McCann said. He added that often drivers offer passengers all sorts of things only to find out that they don’t have it stocked in the car. The next step is planning the journey. “Always think ahead and anticipate, check the route for obstacles like roadworks,” he advised. “Sometimes the longer route is the smoother route, and country roads may be better than expressways.” 

Having bottled water in the car is not enough. Some passengers prefer cold water, some want it at room temperature, some still, others sparkling. 

“I once had a passenger who required sparkling Pelligrino in a small glass bottle, which is only available at specialised stores. So I had to make sure I stocked up a good amount of it three days before the event took place,” he said. “And it turned out he didn’t event drink it. It was like a test.” 

Everything in the car must also be symmetrical before the passenger gets in, whether it’s the wheel position, car position (in comparison to the curb) or even the air vents. The Rolls chauffeur will always walk around the rear end of the car, never in front, when “courting” passengers. And it is always women first, men after. A single passenger would be shown to the rear seat opposite the driver’s, and in case there is luggage, the chauffeur needs to make sure the passenger is there during the loading process to make sure nothing is missing. 

“Luggage belonging to Rolls-Royce passengers will surely contain valuables, and they can become the target of thieves,” McCann pointed out. 

It is also a priority to have the passenger walk the least distance to the car without waiting, and hotel pickups can be tricky. “The driver needs to communicate with the hotel doormen and when you do speak to them nicely, it always works. There’s a fine line between arrogance and politeness but if you ask them properly, they won’t mind a Rolls being parked in front of the busy driveway for a little longer than usual,” he said. 

When in the car, the driver turns around for the initial conversation, informing passengers about the duration of the trip, the weather condition, etc. But then the talking becomes less. “If there is a conversation while you’re driving, you must establish eye contact with the passengers through the rearview mirror, but after that you lower the mirror to avoid eye contact to give them privacy,” McCann said. 

There’s a standard position for holding the steering wheel (quarter to three o-clock position), as well as the seat and steering position to allow the chauffeur to operate the car smoothly, particularly while accelerating and braking. 

There are also other topics that the programme covers, such as security and accidents. 

“Usually there are two types of crimes – they either want to kidnap the passenger or want the car,” he said, adding that there are several techniques to prevent any of this from taking place. In case of an accident, the chauffeur makes sure he is safe and then assists the passenger – just like the oxygen-mask procedure in airplanes. The passenger shouldn’t have to wait at the accident scene – the driver makes sure he uses the phone to make calls and gets assistance so that they proceed to their destination first.

 

 

 

Delivering a ‘magic carpet ride’ 

 

The White Glove Programme is being rolled out in markets such as Singapore, Taiwan, Macau and Thailand, where there is a larger proportion of chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce owners. 

“For many Rolls-Royce owners and their guests, it makes practical sense for them to be chauffeured during their busy business schedule by professional drivers,” says Brenda Pek, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars head of marketing and events for the Asia-Pacific. “Through this programme, we pursue Sir Henry Royce’s mantra of ‘striving for perfection’ by endeavouring to help drivers deliver the ‘magic carpet ride’ that Rolls-Royce is known for, by knowing more about the handling of their cars more optimally,” she adds.