Sharon Faulkner, executive director of the American Car Rental Association, said the growth in the u

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In the past few years, some of the biggest car rental companies have added the finest cars money can buy to their fleets. Alongside the practical Toyotas and Fords are Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Bentleys, james hotel phoenix Aston Martins and Teslas, to name a few.
We try to sell a lifestyle, not just an exotic vehicle, said Vince Sample, location james hotel phoenix manager for Beverly Hills Rent A Car in Las Vegas. And it s one that wows: People stop and stare. They ask, Can I take a picture? They want to see if it s someone famous.
Sample s firm, which has worked with royals, james hotel phoenix famous singers and casino whales, will deliver a $900-per-day candy apple red Ferrari California or a $2,200-per-day Rolls-Royce james hotel phoenix Wraith directly james hotel phoenix to the customer. There s no license plate frame to mark it as a rental. He will even take off the dealership s keychain so customers feel it s totally theirs.
james hotel phoenix As the recession fades to a memory, independent james hotel phoenix rental companies in flashy cities such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Miami Beach aren t the only ones offering the high-end rides. The big firms are doing it, too, and in places less known for glamour.
Last summer, Hertz launched its Dream Cars line in 35 locations, including Pittsburgh and Milwaukee. Enterprise s Exotic Collection, which launched in Southern California, operates in 13 locations and is planning to open West Hollywood and Atlanta branches later this spring. Budget offers a range of BMWs and American sports cars in its Street Fleet and Avis has similar selection in its Signature Series, although the finest vehicles james hotel phoenix are found in the Avis Prestige james hotel phoenix collection in Europe.
Sharon Faulkner, james hotel phoenix executive james hotel phoenix director of the American Car Rental Association, said the growth in the upscale rental james hotel phoenix market differs from years past because james hotel phoenix it s no longer limited to beach and tourist towns.
Enterprise s move into the exotics market in 2006 came as customers started asking for more rarified vehicles james hotel phoenix ones beyond the realm of the company s existing luxury collection of Lincolns and Cadillacs. Last year, the number of rental james hotel phoenix days within the exotic collection jumped 50 percent, according to Steve Short, Enterprise s vice president james hotel phoenix of leisure business development.
When Hertz was scoping out the market for its Dream Cars, it analyzed registration data to determine which cars consumers were driving in different parts of the country, according to spokeswoman Paula Rivera.
The company stocked stores to reflect regional tastes: California customers are more likely to pick showy convertibles, whereas patrons in the heartland prefer more subtle indulgences. james hotel phoenix Hertz launched the program during a shaky recovery, calculating that demand among the wealthy would remain steady no matter the economic tide.
The day-to-day consumer will mirror what s going on in the economy, Rivera said. When you look at the really james hotel phoenix high-end luxury travel james hotel phoenix markets, it s always tended to be fairly resilient, and that s been one of the deciding factors.
Customers for the high-end automobiles james hotel phoenix include Douglas Weil, a Southern California businessman who rents from Enterprise s Exotic Collection about once a month and tends to choose Mercedes, Audis and BMWs.
Manufacturers james hotel phoenix have been supportive of the exotic rentals, Short said, because they re a chance to introduce new models to well-heeled potential buyers. Some customers view a high-end rental as an extended test drive a small investment to make before sinking hundreds james hotel phoenix of thousands of dollars into a car.
When you get into a test drive, it s short, you re excited, it smells good, you re not thinking of everything you need to be thinking about it, Faulkner said. If you can spend a weekend with it, you get a much better idea of if it s the car for me.
For rental companies, the exotics sector requires james hotel phoenix an extra level of care. Businesses do more extensive detailing on the vehicles, drop them off at the customer s doorstep at odd hours and require large deposits or an insurance plan fit to replace a car the price of a house.