Hertz - Meaning of giant "HS" on rental contracts

While doing expense reports today I noticed that of my last 24 rentals, 19 had a giant "HS" written in sharpie. The location at AUS did this to 100% of my rentals. Any idea what it means?

The only reason I'm curious is I've noticed that my upgrades have all but vanished and I seem to be getting cars with 10k+ miles (today I got a 2004 model with 30k miles on it). Prior to the last few months, I appreciated that Hertz always had the nicest, cleanest cars. I'm sure I could go to the Gold Counter and swap cars, but that extra few minutes defeats the purpose of the Gold program.

I'm "President's Circle" for what it's worth.

The HS on your hangtag refers to "High Volume" or President's Circle. It's what comes up on the left of the reservation list for the people who assign cars to see. It is supposed to mean a guaranteed upgrade, and parking in the closest stalls which, per audit procedures, are to be labeled President's Circle.

The HS on your hangtag refers to "High Volume" or President's Circle. It's what comes up on the left of the reservation list for the people who assign cars to see. It is supposed to mean a guaranteed upgrade, and parking in the closest stalls which, per audit procedures, are to be labeled President's Circle.

I had a feeling it was High Sales or something like that. So just to clarify, you mean that the HS, when seen by a vehicle assigner, means a guaranteed upgrade. But aren't all PC members supposed to get a guaranteed upgrade?

Yes, in theory that is what is supposed to happen.

According to the Hertz website, "Our President's Circle Members will enjoy, free rental days, special savings offers, guaranteed one-car class upgrades and a 25% bonus on #1 Awards Points on qualified rentals."

Now whether or not that actually happens is another story. When I worked there, our fleet was really top heavy (lots of full size, premium, suv, etc.) so we gave most Gold members an upgrade (including all PC).

Thanks for the info. I figured as much, however, I was confused as to why it was written on the contract in black marker. Once the contract is printer a car has already been assigned, so what purpose does the "extra" reminder serve? Is it just for the purpose of getting a close stall?

On another note, since we have an ex-manager on this thread, is a 30k+ miles year 2004 model car an oddity for the Hertz fleet? I thought Hertz flushed its cars after something like 18-34 months. The car was fine but I'm curious nonetheless.

At the location I managed, we always wrote an "H" on the hangtag. That way, we gave an extra two hours of time in the car in case the renter was running late. Corporate policy at a non-busing location is to pull the contract and void it 60 minutes after the flight has landed (thinking the customer will not arrive.) By recognizing the high-volume customer, we gave an extra two hours before we voided the rental.

Are you sure it was a 2004 model? That equates to only 7,500 miles a year, which is quite unlikely on a rental car (although not impossible.) We kept cars from 6-24 months... it depended on the program, if we owned the car, etc. The only explanation I could think of is you were at a franchise location which buys it's own cars and runs them forever. We have some small locations on the coast that do that.

Thanks for the info. I figured as much, however, I was confused as to why it was written on the contract in black marker. Once the contract is printer a car has already been assigned, so what purpose does the "extra" reminder serve? Is it just for the purpose of getting a close stall?

On another note, since we have an ex-manager on this thread, is a 30k+ miles year 2004 model car an oddity for the Hertz fleet? I thought Hertz flushed its cars after something like 18-34 months. The car was fine but I'm curious nonetheless.

What kind of car was it?

At the location I managed, we always wrote an "H" on the hangtag. That way, we gave an extra two hours of time in the car in case the renter was running late. Corporate policy at a non-busing location is to pull the contract and void it 60 minutes after the flight has landed (thinking the customer will not arrive.) By recognizing the high-volume customer, we gave an extra two hours before we voided the rental.

Are you sure it was a 2004 model? That equates to only 7,500 miles a year, which is quite unlikely on a rental car (although not impossible.) We kept cars from 6-24 months... it depended on the program, if we owned the car, etc. The only explanation I could think of is you were at a franchise location which buys it's own cars and runs them forever. We have some small locations on the coast that do that.

Unfortunately, it looks like some franchise locations keep them for much longer. I picked up a 2001 Ford Focus at the airport on Grand Cayman.
It was a disaster...........

Unfortunately, it looks like some franchise locations keep them for much longer. I picked up a 2001 Ford Focus at the airport on Grand Cayman.
It was a disaster...........

IME, this is pretty much par for the course at all rental agencies in the Caribbean.

I used to get this as well, back when I religiously rented at Hertz. From my prior inquiries, it sounds like it's a high-volume designator (separate from PC) for an individual location (i.e. you rent at that location so often that they try to treat you better than every other PC).

http://www.flyertalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=617700

Doesn't make sense that you're getting worse cars now, though. When I was "H.S." at SFO a while ago, I was getting really nice treatment -- Lincoln MKZs, Hummer H3s and Audi A4s on C reservations, $25/day upsells for XJ8s and A8s on F reservations, etc. I miss those days. :(