Alamo Rent A Car Drives Toward Hassle-Free Rental Experience
5 October 1998
Alamo Rent A Car Drives Toward Hassle-Free Rental Experience Company Studies Customers; Will Offer Amenities To Meet Renters' Needs
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Oct. 5 -- Saying that the rental car
industry is falling short of meeting leisure travelers' needs, Alamo Rent A
Car President George Gremse today unveiled a battery of service improvements
the company is considering in an effort to take the hassle out of renting a
car.
Gremse said Alamo spent months observing how customers use car rental
facilities and learned that the car rental industry is geared primarily toward
satisfying business travelers. He said more must be done to assist leisure
travelers, particularly since more and more people are renting cars when they
go on vacation.
"The leisure traveler has different needs than the business traveler, but
the rental car industry has been slow to recognize this," Gremse said. "Over
the coming 12 to 24 months, Alamo will revamp its rental centers to make them
easier to use for everyone who rents with us."
Gremse said that unlike business travelers, leisure travelers often travel
with children and carry significantly more luggage. In addition, leisure
travelers generally are less familiar with the car rental process and
typically need more specific assistance and information to help them
understand the process from start to finish.
As a result, Alamo is considering a host of changes intended to make car
rental easier. Those changes could range from posting clearer, consistent
signs to installing onsite retail centers so travelers can stock up on
essentials they'll need for their trip. At some locations, Alamo may provide
play centers for children and packing areas where travelers can organize their
luggage at the start or end of trips. And the company may offer its customers
comprehensive "instruction kits" -- called Drive Happy Guides -- at the time
they rent a car. These kits would contain everything from car operating
instructions and radio station descriptions to detailed maps and event
calendars tailored to each city where Alamo operates.
"We need to make sure we are helping leisure travelers start and end their
vacations on the right foot," Gremse said. "We must provide them with products
and services geared toward helping them have a fun and memorable trip."
Alamo will base the changes it makes on the results of a comprehensive
study conducted by the Doblin Group, a Chicago-based behavioral research firm.
Researchers and Alamo staff spent three months observing and talking to
customers at several Alamo and other car rental facilities. They learned that
even minimal changes could go a long way to making the rental process easier
for Alamo's customers.
"We saw people struggling with luggage. We saw fathers trying to entertain
their kids while mothers waited in line to get a car. We saw confused
travelers who were uncertain how to operate the car they rented," said Gina
Grumke, a social anthropologist who led the Alamo study, "and we worked with
Alamo to identify ways to make it all easier."
Gremse said Alamo has always been innovative when it comes to serving
leisure customers. For example, Alamo invented the rental plaza and was the
first to offer unlimited mileage on its rentals. He said Alamo intends to
carry on its tradition of innovation.
"We believe the changes we are making will help set the standard for a
new, better leisure rental experience," Gremse said. "And we believe these
changes will be beneficial for business travelers as well. Alamo's goal is to
make certain that all of our customers drive happy every time they rent a car
from us."
As a further indication of its intent to dominate the leisure travel
market, Gremse said Alamo plans to open facilities in more vacation
destinations worldwide, including Europe, the Caribbean Islands, Australia and
the United Kingdom.
Gremse said travelers should begin to notice some changes at Alamo rental
facilities almost immediately. He said the company has prioritized its
facilities based on location and customer volume and will provide the most
extensive changes in the busiest facilities, such as Orlando, Maui, Las Vegas,
Los Angeles and Miami.
Smaller facilities will also see changes, though differences will not be
as extensive or as immediate, Gremse said. And Alamo hopes to have at least
one fully functional "new look" facility operating within a year, with others
soon to follow.
Alamo currently serves more than 15 million travelers a year through
nearly 400 locations worldwide, in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe and the
United Kingdom.
