On the Thrifty web site, their promo for Blue Chip says "Step up to the special Blue Chip Members Only line and feel like a VIP every time you rent from us. You'll be in and out faster so you can get on the road."
They advertise it as something that's supposed to be fast and easy, not to mention that I already gave them all my information (driver's license, etc) so it would be in their system. My point is that in my past experiences it was fast and easy (and I got a reasonable if not amazing car). This time it wasn't.
And yes, I felt sorry for the poor Hotwire customer who was going to get the 65,000 mile Camry covered in bird droppings.