Alamo Rent A Car began their journey back in 1974 where they initially started with just four locations in Florida. Their goal was to create a niche market and grow, and they did just that. They were the first of their kind to introduce unlimited free mileage to the car rental industry and focused their attention on leisure travelers who wanted a great experience at a low cost. To say this concept worked would be an understatement. The company quickly took off and became one of the country’s largest providers of rental cars.
Throughout the 1980’s, Alamo Rent A Car continued to expand their business and began constructing rental plazas that could quickly and easily serve hundreds of customers every hour. The first rental plaza was constructed in Tampa, FL, in 1982, and the largest was built in Orlando, FL, in 1985, which is home to the world’s largest rental facility. Also in 1985, Alamo decreased the size of their rental agreement to the size of an airline ticket and introduced Instant Alamo which was a program that stored a renter’s personal information. Both of these changes were designed to make the rental process quicker and simpler for the leisure traveler.
During the 1990’s, Alamo Rent A Car made headlines when it introduced three-tiered collision damage waivers. They named them Waiver Savers and they were designed to cater to a renter’s specific insurance needs by giving them different price options and insurance coverage levels. Then again, in 1995, Alamo made headlines as the first of their kind to introduce real-time booking capabilities on the internet. Alamo.com continued to add more and more services to their website in the following years. Some examples include: weather forecasts, driving directions, things to do, Quicksilver membership club, etc. Then, in a surprise move in 1997, Alamo Rent A Car merged with National Car Rental. This was a great strategic move because National had their niche in the business world, and Alamo had theirs in the leisure world. Together, they covered a great spectrum.
Unfortunately, the success didn’t last for long and financial problems emerged in November of 2001 when the corporation filed for bankruptcy. However, the company was determined to get back on their feet and in 2002, Alamo and National began combining their brands at the major airports. In addition, Alamo forged a unique partnership with Disney and became the exclusive rental car company for the Walt Disney World Resort and the Disneyland Resort. Things were once again looking good for them.
Probably the biggest boost to the company came in 2007 when both National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car were purchased by the Taylor family. The Taylor family brought together Alamo, National, and Enterprise Rent-A-Car under the same umbrella, Enterprise Holdings Group where all three brands are continuing to see great success. In regards to what’s next for this company, only time will tell.
To date, Alamo Rent A Car has locations throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean, Latin America, Australia, and Asia. They operate in over 42 countries and have over 1,000 locations. They also forged an alliance with Europcar creating the largest worldwide car rental network.
To learn more about Alamo Rent A Car, National Car Rental, and Enterprise Rent-A-Car, along with their competitors, please visit: http://www.trix4travel.com/
References
https://www.alamo.com/
