Dollar UAE and Thrifty UAE named Regional Franchisees of the Year

The joint award was presented during DTAG's annual worldwide convention earlier this month at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, and was hotly contested by DTAG franchises from across the Middle East and North Africa.

K Mohandas, Sales and Marketing Manager, Dollar, UAE, was presented with the honors for Dollar UAE's outstanding performance in the last calendar year, which included the opening of new locations and a marked increase in fleet size.

"Dollar UAE has consistently been lauded for its commitment to customer service and value, for both the corporate and leisure customers, and it's gratifying to see that this has been recognized by our colleagues," said K Mohandas, accepting the award from Gary L Paxton, President and CEO, DTAG, on behalf of his team at a special black-tie gala dinner held on the last evening of the convention.

Khaiser Pasha, General Manager Thrifty Abu Dhabi, Rajesh Arora, Assistant General Manager, Thrifty Dubai and N.G. Shah, Group Commercial Manager, represented Thrifty UAE at the event.

"Thrifty UAE has been a consistent winner at the DTAG worldwide convention for the past 10 years and is delighted with this new win. These accolades provide assurance to our staff and give them the impetus to keep up the good work," said Rajesh Arora, Assistant General Manager, Thrifty UAE.

This year's convention was well attended by more than 850 franchisees, employees and guests of Dollar Rent a Car and Thrifty Car Rental worldwide including a number of key representatives from the Middle East.

"Positive reinforcement of the brand is what we're looking for from all our franchisees. With the UAE experiencing exponential growth, I am pleased to see that Dollar UAE and Thrifty UAE have taken advantage of the influx of tourists to the region and ensured that we deliver 'value every time' and an outstanding car rental experience to all," added Yves Boyer, executive vice president, International for Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc.

During the three-day meeting, attendees took part in a series of brainstorming sessions, roundtables, managerial development seminars and motivational speeches. They shared success stories and celebrated franchise achievements, highlighting the internal and external growth the company has experienced over the year.
New Dollar Rent A Car outlets are also set to open across the UAE, including at the brand new Four Points Sheraton in Bur Dubai and Al Raha Mall in Abu Dhabi in the summer.

In addition to expansion within the UAE, Dollar also intends to appoint new franchisees in Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Jordan to meet their growth targets over the coming months.

As part of Thrifty's ambitious expansion plans, the company is focusing its efforts on capitalizing on the UAE's retail boom, and aims to be present at all major shopping hubs in the next few years, offering customers easy access to a full line of vehicles, from economy through full-size cars, as well as minivans, full-size pickups, convertibles, and sport utility vehicles (SUVs).