Hertz, one of the leading car rental companies, is gearing up to offer a unique car rental experience to all Middle Eastern travellers visiting popular US and European destinations this year.

These travellers will have plenty of choice this year as the world’s largest general-use car rental brand rolls out hundreds of redesigned locations, said a company statement.

Hertz, which is now in the middle of a world-wide rebranding exercise to help drive growth, has fully remodelled several flagship locations featuring a high tech makeover and many conveniences to create an unparalleled experience for customers.

Hertz has also updated the format of 400 international locations in the last two years, all with value-added features ideally suited to the modern life of today’s car rental customer, said the statement.

“The Middle East is a very important outbound market for Hertz, and our newly revamped international locations will be very popular for any traveller from the region that is looking for the easiest and fastest car-rental options when travelling overseas,” said Elyes Mrad, the VP of Sales and Marketing for Hertz International.

Middle Eastern customers visiting the US will be some of the first to experience the new flagship locations, including those in San Diego, and Newark, with each showcasing a Hertz Dream Car such as the Ferrari California or Porsche 911, he explained.

Several European flagships are also being launched in key arrival cities such as Frankfurt Airport, downtown Paris and downtown London, he added.

According to him, a popular summer destination for Arab customers is central London, where Hertz introduced its completely redesigned flagship Marble Arch location toward the end of last year in the heart of the English capital’s Arabic community.  

On entry to the new-look branch customers are greeted by an open plan showroom featuring a concierge-style service, the Hertz Supercar display, free internet access and the option to use self-service kiosks which connect to an agent by video.

Hertz has also added Arabic speaking staff at its London Heathrow and Munich Airport locations, as a further service enhancements for its Middle Eastern customers, reflecting the on-going investment for this important market, stated Mrad.

“We began our rebranding exercise in the US which is the most popular destination for Hertz Middle East customers, closely followed by Europe. In 2013 the volume of Hertz bookings from the Middle East to both of these destinations grew significantly,” he added.

The high-tech makeovers for the new Hertz locations include ‘Recharge Zones’ for mobile phones and computer devices and ‘Discovery Zones’, allowing customers to learn more about what’s going on in their areas.

In London Marble Arch, a ‘Kids Zones’ with computer-based games and drawing packages to keep the little ones occupied, while Middle East Gold Plus Reward members will receive special VIP service every time they pick-up and drop-off their cars, said the statement.-TradeArabia News Service