Limo service, execs say less is more

When top officials with the National Basketball Association arrived at the Skirvin Hilton Hotel in April to hear the pitch for relocating the SuperSonics from Seattle to Oklahoma City, their rides were black Mercedes.

Jimmy Paris with new vehicles being added to his fleet of cars on Thursday. BY JACONNA AGUIRRE, THE OKLAHOMAN

Not one single limousine could be found.

"People don't want to flaunt what they're doing,” said John Williams, the Skirvin's general manager. "They really want to downplay the experience of going from the airport to the hotel to business appointments.”

Jimmy Paris, owner of Paris Limousine, says 2008 is the best year he's seen in 21 years of business.

But he too admits that unlike the last boom of the early 1980s, corporate customers are staying away from the big stretch limousines that were once seen as a symbol of corporate success.

"Say you have an executive looking at a site for a new plant — they don't want to seen in a limo — it's seen as gaudy, having a lot of cash,” Paris said. "They want to keep it low profile. When a limo drives up, everybody looks. But in a black car or SUV, it doesn't get that sort of notice.”

Fleet adding more under-the-radar cars

For that reason, Paris is increasing his fleet from 10 to 34 vehicles – but all of the new purchases are either black cars or SUVs.

Local executives confirm that image is what has relegated limo rides to special occasion use by tourists, wedding parties and prom dates.

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