holiday autos revolutionised the car rental industry by introducing the first pre-paid, fully inclusive car rental packages. Prior to the company's launch, car hire customers were quoted rates excluding a host of essential 'extras.' Traditionally, people also usually left arranging car hire until they arrived in their holiday destination, with language barriers only adding to the confusion. Booking a holiday hire car could be baffling for consumers and travel agents alike.
With holiday autos' new, inclusive rental rates launched in 1987, came a best price guarantee, offering to match or beat any cheaper like-for-like quote.
It was a winning formula. The company's early success - initially selling through UK travel agents - prompted rapid expansion, first into the rest of Europe and then beyond.
Today holiday autos is the world's leading leisure car rental company arranging low cost car rental for close to one million global customers every year, booking both directly and via travel agents. In 2002 - 2003 group turnover was £158m.
The holiday autos group was bought by lastminute.com for £43m in March 2003, with 'car rental' joining the online lifestyle giant's growing portfolio of travel merchandise.
Now fully integrated with lastminute.com, the holiday autos business continues to develop as one of lastminute.com's key product categories and to grow in its own right as the leisure car rental market leader.
A broker business, holiday autos works with the leading suppliers in 4,000 locations worldwide to ensure high standards of service and safety in car hire, always at competitive prices.
The group operates out of corporate offices in Austria, Belgium, Denmark and Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Iceland, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK, and has joint ventures in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Israel. There are holiday autos sales agents in a further 23 countries.
Major distribution partners in Europe include low cost airlines Volarweb in Italy, Virgin Express in Belgium, Basiq in Holland and Jet2 in the UK.
The firm also has distribution partnerships with leading travel companies
around the world, including Opodo, TUI, Carlson Wagonlit and French
firm Accor
Over the years holiday autos has won all of the UK's major travel industry
awards for leisure car rental. On the international stage it has won
awards in Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, and Ireland.
The firm was one of the first European travel companies to embrace e-commerce, identifying the growing market for buying travel products on-line. The website launched on Christmas Eve, 1999, and now accounts for more than 50% of worldwide sales.
holiday autos was the first car hire business to address renters exposure to costly insurance excesses by introducing an optional 'no insurance excess' policy - now known as DER - as an add-on to the rental package, which covers this charge in the event of a claim.
In 2002 holiday autos launched holiday hotels, an online accommodation-only specialist. The company aims to meet the increasing demand for independent travel by offering flexible stays of any duration at leading resort and city hotels in Europe and the USA, many of which have been unavailable to the consumer outside a traditional package holiday. A choice of two to five star accommodation is available. Holiday Hotels is predominantly web-based but also offers a call centre facility as well as a 24-hour customer helpline.
