From chaos to access in the blink of an eye

18 months ago when you launched Hertz & Thrifty in Laos, the main goal was to positively disrupt the car rental industry in Laos, and you have apparently succeeded.
You are right; our business is still evolving, but we’ve done 90 percent of the work. The days of a perceived monopoly are definitively over, and this has allowed several local and international companies to enter the business. We were lucky to know the cracks in the walls and how to find the way in, and we did it. 
What has changed and what still needs to be changed in order to create a competitive car rental market in Laos?
Competition helps if it is correctly perceived and understood that it does not necessarily mean lower rates. The main change is that now more people are able to rent cars. The younger generation is in need of something new, innovative, and in line with current circumstances. We do not seize funds, documents etc. and we do not have this obsession with ‘money’ - this should not be car rental work. We operate at the same standards you would find in Paris, Rome or Singapore when it comes to payment, car checks and more. Customer service is not an option for us, and this has unfortunately not yet changed in Laos, with the overall rating of all our competitors being slightly above 3 out of 5 stars on Google, even though some used their own employees to post high ratings. A large fleet is a key winning element. Because we are independent and unlinked to any car dealer, people want to be free to choose and not forcibly driven to choose always the very same or naïve brands. This should not be the agenda of a car rental company, which instead must provide consistent responses to market demand. That explains why knowledge and independence win out if you have sufficient experience to understand the market.
Online, you are leading the market, by even overtaking on some social media, among all competitors. Why was this so easy to do and why have others not been reacting?
Our creativity experience online is so far barely unbeatable, and we have worked very hard to engage the online audience. It is not true that competitors did not react. Some did but they are going about it in the wrong way, through a poor understanding of benchmarking and insight which is not just about “likes” but about engaging, attracting and welcoming. 
Hertz & Thrifty are also promoting Laos. Why have you chosen to do that?
 Laos is a country that is barely known. We talk to people around the world, which is why we are beyond an ordinary car rental business. We give consistent answers in leading the online segment because we understand the questions and try to answer them. It is part of our online strategy that again is not about “rates”.
You appear to be leading the “dance” in the leisure and online segments, but this is not the case, at least not yet, in the business segment - is that right? 
Yes you are right; we are growing and mainly among companies that want to choose a different level of customer service and personal assistance. Corporate agreements are based on mutual trust with transparent information. Corporates understand the difference between linear and transparent details and chaotic and misleading statements.  
How are you dealing with the problematic currency exchange rates?
I would say by avoiding squeezing customers. We manage two international brands, and we need to explain the situation and be very clear.
The peak tourist season is just around the corner. What are your main strategies?
Without disclosing too many details, we can say we are working inside the main source markets. You cannot propose the same “soup” to everybody; people in each country have their own expectations and reasons to travel to Laos and with different sized economies this means one suit does not fit all.
What do you see as the future of car rental in Laos?
A strong commodification. The makeup of a fleet will change and is changing. 10 years ago you would rent trucks but now trucks are obsolete and nobody wants them. In other words, customers now value premium vehicles with a premium service to get a premium experience. That’s what makes Hertz & Thrifty so different from all others in Laos and beyond.

By Advertorial Desk
 (Latest Update September 12, 2022)