AKA West Palm Made a Branded Electric Shuttle One of Its Most Popular Amenities

The Opportunity: Own the Experience Beyond the Lobby

West Palm Beach has become one of South Florida's most competitive hospitality markets. Worth Avenue, Clematis Street, the waterfront, and a dining scene that keeps growing mean guests have plenty of reasons to move around the city. The properties that win here do it by making every part of a guest's stay feel considered, from check-in to the last night out.

AKA West Palm is that kind of property. Extended-stay luxury with a residential feel, designed for guests who want more than a room. When the team looked at what the guest experience was missing, transportation stood out. Getting to the beach, reaching dinner downtown, returning after an evening out: those moments were being left to chance, and that wasn't good enough.  

South Florida heat, limited street parking, and the friction of calling a rideshare are small things individually. Together, they add up to a guest who stays closer to the hotel than they might otherwise, or who arrives back at the property a little more worn down than they should be. For a property positioning itself as a place where everything is handled, that gap was worth closing. 

The Solution: A Branded Amenity From Day One

AKA West Palm launched its Circuit shuttle as a first-of-its-kind transportation offering for the property, introducing it alongside other guest amenities rather than as an afterthought. The vehicle is a fully electric GEM, wrapped in AKA branding, with a dedicated Circuit driver who knows the property and the market.

Guests use the shuttle for beach trips during the day and dinner runs in the evening, the two moments when the difference between a smooth experience and a frustrating one is most felt. The service is funded through the guest destination fee and operating budget, keeping it free at point of use and positioned as part of what the stay includes.

The branded vehicle does something a rideshare never could: it puts AKA West Palm's name on the street, moving through one of the most visible parts of the city during peak hours. Management noted that the shuttle quickly became one of the property's most popular amenities, with guests regularly citing it as a highlight of the stay.

AKA West Palm's team put it directly: "Circuit is our first transportation offering, and it's been a big hit with guests. Since launching both at the same time, it's become one of our most popular amenities."

The Results: An Amenity That Drives Guest Satisfaction 

The shuttle has served over 15,000 riders since launch, with consistent demand built around the rhythms of how guests move around the city. Daytime beach trips and evening dining runs drive the highest utilization, which means the vehicle is active during exactly the hours that matter most to guest satisfaction.

The fully electric GEM aligns with AKA West Palm's sustainability commitments without requiring the property to say much about it. An electric vehicle on the street is the proof.

f your property is looking to give guests a reason to choose you and keep choosing you, a dedicated Circuit shuttle is worth the conversation. One branded vehicle, the right hours, and an experience guests remember. Talk to our team about what a dedicated program could look like for your property.