With strong demand from local customers, an influx of visitors to the emirates and growth in consumer spending on outbound travel, Hertz UAE has introduced the brand’s highly successful loyalty programme at a third location as part of a strategic network expansion of its car rental services.

Currently catering to members within the emirates, the Hertz #1 Club Gold service is now available to consumers using the Hertz location at Etihad Plaza in Abu Dhabi.

The new location will serve a growing number of travellers coming into the capital as Abu Dhabi International Airport sees a 22.8 per cent increase in the number of incoming passengers in the first half of the year, up from the same period in 2011.

In widening the reach of the programme, Hertz UAE will additionally look to meet and enhance the expectations of its solid local following, with 80 per cent of the group’s monthly car rental business being fuelled by residents looking for a convenient, high quality solution on a seasonal basis.

The #1Club Gold service, introduced last year at the Hertz UAE airport locations in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, offers customers exclusive benefits including faster reservations, a speedy vehicle pick-up process and VIP treatment every time they rent a Hertz car. Members need only to produce their driver’s license to receive preferential service upon arrival.

“We were proud to be the first car rental company in the Middle East to introduce a loyalty programme of this kind in the region last year, and are very pleased to now extend the service to our Etihad Plaza location in Abu Dhabi,” commented Nigel Johnson, Managing Director of Hertz UAE.
“The UAE currently boasts a considerable number of consumers who are dedicated to making significant spends on products and services that distinguish themselves.”

“Understanding the customer’s behaviour is an integral component to the success of any loyalty service. It is our foremost ambition to appreciate the needs and habits of our audiences in order to offer them a distinctive customer experience through the Hertz #1Club Gold programme.”

Not only is demand from residents playing a key role, but the UAE is further seeing a pertinent growth from local residents looking to pay more for travel services on an ongoing basis. 

According to research conducted in 2011 by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, on average, a UAE resident spends about US$22,000 (AED80,808) annually on flights and accommodation alone, totalling US$6.6 billion (AED 24.2 billion) annually on outbound travel.

The #1 Club Gold service was introduced last year at Abu Dhabi International Airport and Dubai International Airport to meet a growing demand within the UAE car rental market and to provide customers with a new standard of efficiency and timely service.