Blog
By Cindy Hani, Reservations Manager, Pontarelli
If you’ve ever worked in reservations for a transportation company, you quickly learn that Executive Assistants are some of the most organized, resourceful, and hardworking professionals you’ll ever meet.
They’re often the people behind the scenes making sure everything runs smoothly—booking travel, coordinating meetings, adjusting schedules, and solving problems before anyone else even knows they exist.
At Pontarelli, I have the privilege of working with Executive Assistants every day. As Reservations Manager, I’ve seen firsthand how much trust they place in us. As part of the Rento family, I’ve also grown up understanding that trust is something you earn through consistency, communication, and genuine care for every client.
Over the years, one thing has become very clear to me: Executive Assistants don’t need another task on their already full plate. They need transportation partners who make their jobs easier.
When an Executive Assistant sends us a reservation, they’re already thinking about ten other things. They’re confirming meetings, managing changing calendars, coordinating executives, handling flights, responding to emails, and planning tomorrow while finishing today. The last thing they should have to worry about is whether a vehicle will arrive on time. Our goal has always been simple: once you book with us, transportation should become one less thing you have to think about.
One of the biggest compliments our reservations team receives is when someone tells us, “I never had to wonder what was happening.” Executive Assistants shouldn’t have to call asking if a reservation was received, track down chauffeur information, or wonder if someone is watching a delayed flight. Good communication isn’t just good customer service—it’s respect for someone else’s time. Whether it’s a confirmation, chauffeur information before pickup, or proactive updates when travel plans change, we believe staying ahead of the conversation helps everyone have a better experience.
One of my favorite parts of this job is getting to know our clients over time. Some travelers like complete silence during their ride. Others appreciate conversation. Some always request bottled water. Others have preferred pickup locations, favorite vehicles, or routines we’ve come to recognize over the years. Those details may seem small, but remembering them shows clients they’re more than just another reservation number. It’s one of the ways long-term relationships are built.
If there’s one thing reservations teaches you, it’s that flexibility isn’t optional. Flights get delayed. Private aircraft arrive early. Meetings run longer than expected. Passengers add stops. Schedules change with very little notice. Our job is to adapt quickly, communicate clearly, and make those changes as seamless as possible for the people depending on us.
Professional chauffeurs matter. Clean vehicles matter. On-time arrivals matter. But what Executive Assistants appreciate most is consistency. Knowing the phone will be answered. Knowing someone is monitoring the reservation. Knowing they can call with a last-minute request and be greeted by someone who genuinely wants to help. Those moments create confidence and lasting relationships.
Every reservation represents something important—an executive meeting, a client visit, a family celebration, a wedding, a conference, or a flight home after a long business trip. Transportation is only one piece of someone’s day, but it’s often the first and last impression.
Executive Assistants aren’t looking for perfection. They’re looking for reliability. They want honest communication, proactive service, and a transportation partner they can trust without checking every detail themselves.
Growing up in the Rento family, I learned early that this business has never been just about transportation. It’s about taking care of people.
When my father, Art Rento Sr., retired in 1981, our family proudly carried on the legacy he built. Today, Pontarelli is still a family business, guided by the same values of hard work, respect, and putting people first.
Those values shape every reservation we take, every client relationship we build, and every decision we make.
Technology has changed. Travel has changed. Expectations have changed. But one thing hasn’t. People still remember how you made them feel.
If an Executive Assistant can finish the day knowing transportation was handled without a second thought, that’s one of the greatest compliments our team can receive. Because at the end of the day, we’re not just booking rides. We’re helping make someone else’s job a little easier—and that’s something we’ll never take for granted.
Cindy Hani is Reservations Manager at Pontarelli, where she works closely with Executive Assistants, corporate travel planners, and clients to coordinate seamless transportation experiences. As a member of the Rento family, Cindy has helped carry forward Pontarelli’s long-standing commitment to exceptional service, trusted relationships, and attention to every detail since the company’s founding in 1977.