Service · III
By the hour · By the day · By the week
« A motorcar one does not call, because one has it. »
I
The by-the-hour service is the freest form of the Maison's service. For a few hours or a few weeks, a motorcar and its chauffeur are entirely dedicated to the guest — to their rhythm, their moods, their detours.
Vehira distinguishes four durations: by the hour, by the day, by the week, by the month. The logic is the same: throughout the period, the motorcar is no longer a car one calls, it is a car one has. It waits where one leaves it. It returns where one tells it. It does nothing else.
The service suits all situations that exceed the simple journey — the day of visits in Saint-Paul, the evening at the Opera, the week of presence at a Festival, the summer month in holiday residence.
II
From a few hours to several weeks
For an evening, a dinner, an extended appointment
From three hours
Programme from morning to evening, at the guest's pleasure
Eight hours of service
For Festival visitors, short stays
Five to seven consecutive days
For summer holidays, long presences
Twenty-one days and beyond
III
The by-the-hour service is intended for families staying on the Riviera, for palace guests over several days, for visitors of Festivals and major events, for executives on extended missions, and for couples on getaways wishing to have their own motorcar throughout their stay, without time constraints.
IV
How the Maison operates during the by-the-hour service
The Maison receives the programme in advance, or discovers it in the morning. In either case, the organisation takes place without weighing. The chauffeur knows the programme and anticipates it: if the soirée is at eight o'clock in Monte-Carlo, he is before the palace at seven fifteen without having been asked.
For long by-the-hour services — by the week or by the month — the same chauffeur is assigned. This is the condition for that silent knowledge of habits to grow — the very thing that distinguishes the by-the-hour service from simple hire.
The motorcar remains in immediate proximity according to instructions: in the palace car park, before the villa, or discreetly parked a few streets away. It never strays. It performs no other errand throughout the period — the by-the-hour service is exclusive by definition.
V
A few habitual missions
Cap-d'Ail → Saint-Paul → Monte-Carlo
A couple residing in Cap-d'Ail. Luncheon at the Colombe d'Or, afternoon at the Fondation Maeght, return for a dinner in Monte-Carlo. The motorcar is present from morning to evening, without needing to be called.
Cannes · March · Executive
Six days of consecutive appointments between the palaces, the yachts moored in the bay and the villas of the Cap. Motorcar reserved at one hundred percent, waiting on the palace's dedicated car park, restart in the minute.
Cap-Ferrat · July · Family
Family on holiday, two chauffeurs in relay, a motorcar and a family vehicle coordinated. Errands, children, beaches, dinners — the Maison learns the habits in a few days.
Monte-Carlo · By-the-hour service for the evening
Transfer palace → opera, waiting throughout the performance (three to four hours), return with possible stop at the Café de Paris or the Yacht Club for a late supper.
VI
The conditions are established by the day, the week or the month, decreasing as the duration lengthens. For long by-the-hour services, the Maison may include a second chauffeur in relay and a support vehicle for families with luggage or numerous children.
The by-the-hour service is counted in duration — a few hours, a day, a season. Throughout this duration, the motorcar and its chauffeur are at the service of a single guest ; the journeys, the stops, the waits and the detours are its common substance, not distinct services.
The motorcar is reserved to the guest ; the time belongs to them.
IX
For a free programme, at the guest's pleasure, the Maison welcomes requests in advance of the stay.
The Maison's conditions are communicated upon request, after a preliminary conversation.
Address a by-the-hour request