CARNECT records 200% growth in three years

CARNECT records 200% growth in three years

Hotelbeds Group’s car rental distribution arm has struck deals with 70 more partners in last 12 months Continue reading

Hotelbeds Group has announced that its B2B car rental distribution arm CARNECT has grown by 200% in the last three years.

CARNECT says it has reached agreements with more than 70 additional online travel agencies (OTAs), tour operators and ancillary revenue management platforms over the last 12 months, meaning it now has 200 partners connected to the 500-plus car rental companies – including Avis, Europcar, Hertz, Alamo, and Enterprise – it works with in more than 170 countries.

CARNECT’s managing director Chris Leonard said the growth, measured in terms of Total Transaction Value, was through both commissionable and wholesaler models.

 

He said: “This focus on customer satisfaction has been supported by initiatives around increased product display transparency, supplier sourced inclusive product and excellent account management and customer service. We believe this commitment to customer satisfaction is often overlooked in the car rental industry, but that it is critical for both our online and travel agency partners to maximise customer retention and lifetime value.”

Global business development director Cina Bahri added: “This [growth] has been achieved through focusing solely on the B2B sector and via our commitment to providing our clients with the best possible tailor-made product and technology solutions to help them grow their car rental businesses.  Our recognition as a highly reliable car rental distribution partner shows the strong mutual trust and reliability we have established with our existing and new clients.  This has driven our successful entry into further markets, including the US, Asia-Pacific, and this year the Middle East & North Africa.”

Bahri said using its own in-house technology has helped the Hotelbeds Group subsidiary differentiate its offering through API, widget and mobile solutions.

“Currently we have many exciting partnerships in the pipeline and ambitious plans for growth that I look forward to announcing soon,” she said.