PARSIPPANY, N.J., April 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Avis Budget Group, Inc. today announced the launch of a new private-label car rental booking engine tailored for Groople, the leading online group travel booking resource. This booking engine, the first of its kind developed, hosted and maintained by a car rental company for a group travel agency, provides a side-by-side comparison of Avis and Budget car rental offerings to customers traveling in groups. Through a collaborative effort with Groople, Avis Budget Group provides the perfect travel tool for groups such as families and friends attending a wedding, reunion or other getaway, students traveling on school trips, sports teams traveling to games or competitions and business travelers attending meetings and conferences.
Groople customers can now complement their group air and hotel reservations on http://www.groople.com with customized car rentals from Avis, a leading premium brand that provides the finest in service and amenities, and Budget, a brand that delivers great service at low prices for cost-conscious travelers.
Serving groups of five or more, Groople will now offer customers access to great group rates on multiple car rentals and the ease of booking all their travel plans in one simple click. For example, customers can view options specific to their arrival location, time and vehicle preferences and can reserve cars for their special event. Groups can even mix and match vehicle types and brands to meet the individual needs of each renter in the group.
"Our dual-brand approach provides the best of both worlds in car rental to Groople customers," said Becky Alseth, senior vice president of marketing for Avis Budget Group. "Between the technology innovations and 'We Try Harder' service Avis is famous for, and the great value of Budget, the complex needs of group travelers can now be met with ease and convenience."
Breaking new ground, this service allows customers to book group rates online for the first time. Groups are able to move through their bookings quickly and easily, allowing customers to book more than one car per reservation. When customers book five cars or more their group rate is automatically uploaded and the savings are built in. Best of all, each individual driver can select the car and payment option online.
"Groople and Avis Budget Group continue to lead innovation in the industry with the launch of our group rental car product. The rapid growth in booking travel online and the size of the group travel segment is driving demand for group based travel tools," said Mike Stacy, chief executive officer of Groople. "We have demonstrated our leadership in group hotels, and we are proud to offer our customers another ground-breaking tool for cars, which will make their travel planning and booking much easier."
About Groople
Groople is the leader in online group travel, offering one-stop group booking on hotel, cruise, air, bus, and rail, and is backed by partnerships with the largest travel suppliers worldwide. Groople is group travel made easy, with more than 60,000 hotel choices worldwide and six top cruise lines brought together in an online group booking website. Groople offers discounted rates, individual payment options and creates a single point of contact for the group travel consumer. Groople's customer sales center provides personal attention and offers group travel experts to advise leisure group travelers on weddings, family reunions, religious groups, sports teams, and more. Created by 20 travel industry veterans, Groople pioneered the online group travel space and continues to lead the group travel industry in technology, inventory and convenience.
About Avis Budget Group, Inc.
Avis Budget Group is a leading provider of vehicle rental services, with operations in more than 70 countries. Through its Avis and Budget brands, the Company is the largest general-use vehicle rental operator in each of North America, Australia, New Zealand and certain other regions. Avis Budget Group is headquartered in Parsippany, N.J. and has more than 30,000 employees. For more information on Avis Budget Group, visit http://www.avisbudgetgroup.com.