Have you ever imagined how your favorite music artists live on the road? When the Jonas Brothers, Beyonce and Jay-Z, or Cher go on tour, how do they find room for glamour on the bus?
That’s where Jeremy Maul comes in, the owner and founder of Dreamliner Luxury Coaches. After decades in the business, Maul’s come to stand out for the meticulous care and personal touches he brings to the table.
His goal is to improve the quality of his coaches and make celebrities feel at home, and it’s his dedication that has earned Dreamliner Luxury Coaches a designation as next-level in the industry.
We caught up with Maul to hear what makes a coach bus fit for an A-lister and how you can get the star treatment, too.
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Jeremy Maul, founder of Dreamliner Luxury Coaches
How did you get into this field?
I got into the business as a kid. My dad had a trucking and construction business that was pretty big, so I’ve been around semi-trucks and big equipment for a while. It was an interesting segway for me, because I was at a concert, and I went on their bus. Their bus wasn’t nice. I asked him why the buses were so run down. Obviously, they were a smaller rock band, and what I know now is how much it costs to rent these things, but back then, I didn’t understand. I was just like, “it’s a bus.”
He was going over the economics with me; how much they rent for, how this worked, how that worked. I did about two years of research and dove in. I started a company, and then I split with my business partner and went to Diamond Coach. I ran Diamond Coach into COVID-19, and we shut our California office down. I was asked to move to Nashville, but my wife didn’t want to. That was when we made the decision to team up with the guys from Caprice Capital. They’re my bankers; an investment firm. We wouldn’t be here without them, and they’re great guys who see our vision and support me wholeheartedly.
What do musicians need when they travel?
My wife and I travel all over the world, and we’re big on staying at boutique hotels. I’ll look at yacht companies like Van Dutch or Solaris, because I like their design. I lived in Miami, so I love hotels like the Delano, the Fontainebleau and places like that. I always see what people are doing and what they’re putting in the minibars. I put myself in the mindset of, “where is this celebrity when they travel? Where are they going to stay?” They’re not staying at a Holiday Inn or a Marriott. They’re staying at a Four Seasons, a W, a Rosewood, or the Delano. So why not take design inspiration from that?
I’m sure it was difficult to recreate what you saw and experienced into such a limited space.
Completely. All of us—no matter what company—have a kitchen, a couch, a shower and a bathroom. It’s just a matter of different touches. You can go into a million different houses with the same floor plan, but the backsplashes, countertops, flooring and type of fabric—all of that is what makes a difference.
I use Le Labo candles. They’re literally $70 per candle, and people think I’m ignorant for doing that, but I do it. We use 900-thread count sheets. I have custom mattresses made. I use a Nespresso machine on every bus. On our star buses, we use Buster and Punch handles and lights. It’s the little extra touches that some people wouldn’t care about, but I think that’s what people who are spending this type of money want. I’m even concerned as much as how we wash the sheets; what chemicals and fabric softeners we use. When we clean the bus, I make the guys use Meyer’s because it smells good, and because it’s organic.
When you stay at a nice hotel, the first thing you do is get into the bed, right? Is the pillow comfortable? Is the bed comfy? That’s where I think you make a big impression. I mean, Holiday Inn is extremely successful, and so is the Marriott, and they don’t offer those things. Everyone has a different business model, but I don’t want to be those things: I want to stay boutique, stay small and cater to the really high-end clients.
How important are tour coaches really?
We’re probably the most vital part of a tour that there is. [Beyonce and Jay-Z’s On The Run Tour] had 36 buses and 76 semi-trucks on it. You have the people that do the lighting, the rigging, sound, catering, assistants, wardrobe—all of that stuff. If we don’t get the whole crew there, there’s no show.
We run in groups. In case something does happen, you can offload people onto one. Here’s the reality: it’s just like flying. It’s not if, it’s when. I don’t care how new your buses are, how good of a program you have, there’s gonna be a time when something’s gonna break. You need to make sure you have your ducks in a row and have a good crew, because you could have to fly them on a private jet. You could have to send sprinter vans or Ubers. You gotta do whatever you gotta do to get it done.
Do you have any fun stories from the road?
I don’t have one in particular, but an artist I was a fan of and we got to work with three years ago was The Weekend. That was a really cool tour to work on, and it was fun to go up there. I go to all of the first dates of a show, so if there’s a big kickoff to a tour, I always go to one and make sure all our ducks are in a row, everything’s on point and everybody’s happy. I talk with the tour managers and make sure they understand, if we haven’t worked with them in the past, how we operate, and what we can do to help them; just kick everything off. That one stuck in my head. It was the funnest one to work with, the Weekend.
These coaches are available to rent by private customers too, right?
We have our private VIPs that love to take a trip up the coast of California or through our great National Parks. Others love our services to transport between summer and winter homes with all of their luggage and pets. This is the most luxurious way to comfortably travel and take in the beauty of our country.
Anything else you want people to know?
At the end of the day, the biggest thing with Dreamliner is that we don’t want to be the biggest. We just want to provide the best customer service we can. We want to keep innovating and stay on top of the newest technologies, the newest look and feel and vibes. We just want to make sure that these artists, when they’re on the road, have the best experience they can when they’re away for three to four months. That’s really our whole goal.
This conversation was edited for length and clarity. Visit Dreamliner Luxury Coaches online to learn more.
Photography by: Courtesy Dreamliner Coaches
