Alamo Continues Inventive Plaza Re-Design
3 October 2000
Alamo Continues Inventive Plaza Re-Design
Business EditorsFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--Oct. 3, 2000--
Las Vegas and Los Angeles Facilities Unveil Customer-Friendly
Improvements Such as Travel Kiosks, Retail Centers and Play Areas
As part of its initiative to roll out unique, leisure-travel services to its customers nationwide, Alamo, a division of ANC Rental Corporation , today announced the redesign opening of its Las Vegas and Los Angeles facilities. The redesigned facilities, scheduled to open in early October, will offer amenities such as travel kiosks, on-site retail centers and child play areas.
"Alamo pioneered the car rental plaza and now we've improved on that original concept," said Beth Kaplan, Alamo's vice president of marketing. "This redesign is about more than just renting a car. It's about making a commitment to better serve our customers and raise the standard of the leisure car rental experience by addressing the unique and specific needs of leisure travelers."
Alamo designed the new plaza with help from San Francisco-based Landor Associates and Chicago-based Doblin Group following extensive research into leisure travelers' behaviors and preferences.
Alamo's leisure-friendly innovations feature:
| -- | Travel Center - Multi-lingual touchscreen kiosks print out directions to area hotels, restaurants, local attractions and entertainment events. Each kiosk also contains a direct-connect phone to a live concierge service. |
| -- | Play Area - Multi-story play area for youngsters has a crawl tube, climbing elevator, punching bags, activity panels, minivan clubhouse and a crazy slide. |
| -- | Retail Center - Alamo's version of a mini-mart, with ample supplies of popular name-brand food and travel items. Vacationers can pick up sandwiches, soft drinks, film, children's travel games, suntan lotion ... even that forgotten toothbrush at reasonable off-airport prices. |
| -- | Signage, Go Guides, and Process Improvements - A host of changes ranging from brighter colors and clearer signs to streamlined process flow and user-friendly rental agreements, called Go Guides, add up to a vastly simplified car rental experience. The Go Guides even include a local area map with detailed driving directions and a list of local radio stations. |
"Our initial goal was to enhance the car rental experience for the leisure traveler, that is, the type of individual who is typically less familiar with the car rental process; often travels with additional luggage and family members; and almost always needs directions. We simply listened to--and watched--our customers, then designed every amenity, every process change and every improvement around their needs," explained Kaplan.
"We also found that business travelers are delighted with services such as the Web-enabled travel kiosk that prints out everything from directions to weather and the on-site retail center for snacks and sundries. It's just a win-win proposition for all our customers," she continued.
With its headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Alamo Rent A Car currently serves more than 15 million travelers a year through 109 locations in the United States and Canada, and operates more than 400 international locations in Europe and Latin America. Alamo is a division of ANC Rental Corporation and can be reached on the Internet at www.alamo.com. Photos Available.