The "10 Commandments" of Consolidated Rental Car Center Design

The "10 Commandments" of Consolidated Rental Car Center Design

Over the last 15 years, consolidated rental car facilities have become a new feature at airports large and small across the country. Well-conceived versions bring real value to rental car customers, airports and rental car companies alike.

Successful facilities have many of the following elements in common:

1. A layout that fosters customer service with short walking distances, few or no vertical transitions, intuitive wayfinding, easy opportunities to shop competitive rental companies and careful management of multiple traffic flows. In addition, the building itself should be memorable, so it's easy for customers to locate when they return to the airport

2. Operational efficiency for cars, buses, customers and company personnel. With thousands of rental transactions and vehicle quick-turns occurring every day, even slight compromises on operational requirements can create enormous costs. Conversely, saving just 30 seconds on each process can generate substantial savings. The best rental car facilities identify and eliminate choke points and areas of excess capacity to create uninterrupted flow.

3. A "win/win" business agreement that weaves together the needs and goals of the airport with those of its individual rental car companies. To be successful, the contract must benefit both groups.

4. A clear understanding of why the facility is being built is critical. Bear in mind that many travelers assume that a consolidated facility will compromise customer service; and many rental car companies will oppose sharing a facility with direct competitors. The motivating factor must be recognized and communicated - even if it is the airport's need to decrease curb congestion or repurpose terminal space currently occupied by rental car counters.

Jeffrey Jarvis Jeffrey Jarvis, AIA, is an architect and principal for TranSystems. Throughout his 32 years in the industry, he has been involved in numerous consolidated rental car facility projects at airports throughout the United States.

5. A superior facility will both anticipate and accommodate changes in the way rental car companies serve their customers. Despite recent evolutions, the market will change more over time.

6. Ensuring all tenants equitable access to customers is one of the trickiest challenges. As with retail and food/beverage spots inside the terminal, some locations within a consolidated rental car center are more advantageous than others. Rental car companies are fierce competitors, yet airports need them to cooperate in the creation and operation of consolidated facilities. Phoenix Sky Harbor addressed this issue by providing each rental company the same opportunity to bid for its preferred space. In doing so, the airport acknowledged that the allocation of space, retail frontage and facility resources could be driven by more than a simple linear distribution based on market share. The design produced by TranSystems reflected that philosophy and included incubator space for new entrants into the local market.

7. Cost control during the design and construction of a new facility is vital to minimizing price increases for rental customers.

8. Attention to a market's unique schedule can help optimize everything from project planning and construction scheduling to the availability for peak customer use.

9. Strategic specifications for lighting, finish materials, interior space configurations, vertical clearance, signage, security and turnover help emphasize the retail nature of a consolidated rental car center.

10. As part of the airport campus, a rental car facility should convey a sense of place about the local community via its architectural design, color palette, artwork, etc. 

Through careful attention to these elements, an airport, its rental car partners and their customers can all enjoy the benefits of a consolidated rental car facility.