Features

Five years after its launch, Rent and Travel – the leisure vehicle hire service from top manufacturer Knaus Tabbert – is feeling on top of the world. The company, which now has more than 2,200 vehicles available throughout Germany via 180 rental stations and 440 travel agents, was recently given the award for Germany’s Best Online Portal in the Motorhome Rental category of the German Institute for Service Quality awards. 

Just how has it achieved this? Naturally, the surge of interest in caravanning partly influenced by the coronavirus pandemic has helped things, but Rent and Travel was already bringing innovative ideas and the most user-friendly experience it could way before the pandemic arrived.

The convenient and secure booking platform that helped Rent and Travel win this award has been extremely popular with a wide range of consumers in Germany – from beginners who are finding their way in the world of caravanning through to prospective buyers who want to test-drive a particular unit before they make their decision. The company offers discounts if users are members of automobile associations as well as long-drive discounts. It also provides individual vehicle consultation with experts to help people choose the vehicle to hire that they will have the best experience with. 

Rent and Travel is complemented by an app, which offers a customised experience for customers with smart features such as a digital check-in. The innovation to operate hire services through an app has paid dividends for Knaus Tabbert, as it has helped the company target the new, younger demographic entering the caravanning and motorhome market. In 2020, more than 43 percent of its website visitors were below the age of 34 – a substantial increase of roughly a quarter over the previous year. This number proves beyond all doubt the extent to which the young target group is discovering this form of holiday. Conversely, the average age of purchasers remains between 51 and 57 years. 

“Rent and Travel is a highly successful model for Knaus Tabbert,” said Gerd Adamietzki, Director/CSO of Knaus Tabbert AG. “With Rent and Travel, we are reaching many thousands of new customers who are discovering caravanning for themselves as a safe form of holiday.”

The fact that the company is proud and transparent about the fact that it is a brand of Knuas Tabbert also likely does no harm in terms of its reputation – campers who are first starting out can be reassured by the fact they are working with one of the biggest brands on the continent. The Rent and Travel bubble looks set to continue to grow.