With corporate car rental rates flat, suppliers are trying to grow revenue in other ways—including extra charges. Advito’s 2017 Industry Forecast offers five strategies to help travel buyers get the most out of deals with car rental suppliers.
- Negotiate to remove higher rates for larger vehicles if the booked category is unavailable.
- Warn drivers to record all pre-existing damage or scratches on the vehicle with the supplier—before they drive off—to ensure that there is no dispute later. And make sure suppliers’ franchise locations are included in rental agreements.
- Negotiate to remove any blackout dates that could have an adverse impact on your business.
- Beware of suppliers adding city or state surcharges to agreements. Negotiate to remove any that are particularly likely to affect your travelers.
- Watch out for one-day rental surcharges. Traditionally these have only applied to Tuesday and Wednesday rentals, but now suppliers are trying to apply them to all days of the week.
The bottom line: If corporate clients know what to look for and how to resist these extras during negotiations, suppliers will often back down.
To get a deeper understanding of ground transportation, air and hotel trends, download Advito’s full 2017 Industry Forecast. Want to discover how to use the insights to improve your travel program? Talk to your BCD Travel account manager or email Advito at [email protected].
