FlyinHawaiian

SFO was kind enough to do a Platinum Return and drop us off at the Grand Hyatt SFO last month. We did have to wait a bit for an available manager to drive us and like DJ_Iceman , they left my reservation open but I trusted them to close it properly after the dropped us off and they did.

My mom is back at SFO for a week and the gave her a 2023 Cadillac XT4 with 2.800 miles on the odometer for her F reservation.

Hollandair

Recently received Platinum Status. Got an upcoming rental at LAS for P6 Cat. (Large Elite Category). Booked this because medium and small were way more expensive (Hertz ICT lol).
I wonder what I can expect. Would I be able to switch to maybe BMW 4 series, Porsche Boxer, or Dodge Challenger R/T or so? Or should I expect something different?

Oh also curious if I could call Hertz and ask if specific model could be available? Any experiences with that by calling local office saying you're Platinum?

corolla

Not platinum, but any sane agents would be happy to give you the Bmw 4 or the Challenger. I assume if they have any clue what a platinum member is then the boxter should also be offered.

JohnnyP

Any other Platinum upgrade experiences on an Economy car reservation? I usually always book a midsize or full size. This time, an Economy car at PHX was quite literally 1/2 the cost of a midsize and this trip is on my own dime. Having had typically great experiences with Hertz Platinum, I figured I would roll the dice.

I have a backup Nat’l EE premium reservation just in case. :-)

FlyinHawaiian

Thanks to the info in my thread, I was able to warn my mom about the lack of Platinum service at LAX. I think this was the first time she's been on a Hertz bus at LAX in 35 years. The white glove service was the bus driver telling her what stall number her I 2023 Chrysler 300s (CA plates, 6,000 miles) was parked in. I'll help her return the car and drive her to her hotel.

DJ_Iceman

First of all, smart move on the backup reservation because YMMV. But in my experience the car I get from Hertz as a platinum renter has NOTHING to do with the class I reserve. Plus, I've been told several times by Hertz reps that if I don't like the car they assign me to go back to the booth and they will grant any reasonable request.

Let the rest of us know how it goes with the economy reservation at PHX (one of my favorite Hertz platinum locations, BTW)!

SusanDK

Platinum member -

CPH Kastrup airport - reserved an "L1" vehicle, Midsize Elite Wagon/Estate (Volvo V60 or similar); received an "X" vehicle, Premium - Volvo XC60 with 3,000 km on the odometer. Very nice, top trim level, leather interior and double sunroof, radar cruise, etc. It's a hybrid although it was not fully charged and we haven't taken the time to find a place to charge it, so driving on petrol only but it seems quite economical.

Also forgot to post from October - we arrived late to JFK so missed the last connection to MCO before the airport closed for 3 days due to the hurricane. Ended up renting a one-way Hertz vehicle from JFK-MCO, standard car for a very reasonable rate, and was given a brand new Toyota Highlander. Very comfortable and safe for the long trip down the east coast dodging the path of the hurricane (took a side journey partway through the Blue Ridge Parkway, then drove through one night while the hurricane was out in the Atlantic before it was due to turn back inland).

JohnnyP

I’ve been curious to see how Platinum translates in Europe. So far so good. Had an electric cross-over SUV reserved (not sure which class) at BOD. No special greeting or recognition per se, but effectively was allowed to pick anything off the lot. Someone had just driven off with the Volvo XC60, and they had a bunch of Polestar 2 and Tesla Model 3 cars on the lot, which were tempting. (Un)fortunately, I had the whole family in tow, so a three row hybrid Ford SMax wagon was too hard to pass up. Not luxury, but spacious and … If I’m reading the display right, it’s doing 5L/100km, which is about 47 mpg. (Still cost me €82 to fill the tank though!)

FlyinHawaiian

Worst case of failed Platinum service relayed to me by my mom who rented from SEA yesterday. No Platinum terminal pickup so she had to go to the CONRAC, where, for some lame reason, her name wasn't on the board so they made her stand in the general Gold line for about an hour to see a desk agent. Her full-size upgrade was to an I 2022 Genesis G70 with 23,000 miles on the odometer. The only recognition of her Platinum service was they pulled her out of the queue to exit the garage and opened an exit lane for her.

Yes, she probably could have skipped the line and taken something out of Ultimate Choice but she's been a Platinum member since they started the program in the mid-80s and hasn't had to deal with "regular" Hertz service since then.

DJ_Iceman

Had an interesting one at IAD this week. Never got an email that day with the advance reservation like I've gotten used to. Arrived on a late flight (a bit after midnight) and tried calling the number on the Hertz website for platinum pickup but the number didn't work. Looked at the reservation on the app and it showed a number for platinum service, which also didn't work. Looked up the generic number for the IAD station which connected, but just went to a phone tree that went to central reservations. So eventually just boarded the overloaded little Hertz/Dollar/Thrifty shuttle van, got to the station, didn't see my name on the Gold board (sometimes it is as a platinum sometimes not), and joined the queue at the desk. Eight or so people in front of me with two people working the desk, and things went as slowly as they typically do. Heard them telling each person that all they had left were electric cars, and each one complained they had a reservation for a gas car, didn't want an electric car, etc. but the staff was firm and unyielding. Expecting the worst, I was very pleasantly surprised when they took my ID, matched it to the platinum folder that was prepared, and walked me out to a (gas-powered) Cadillac SUV. All's well that ends well!

JohnnyP

Arrived in CLT and lot was very picked over, but no one in line at the booth. When I told the greeter I was Platinum he took me into the booth and introduced me to the desk agent. I had booked a “manager’s special EV” and has been pre-assigned a Ford Mustang. I noticed a whole row of Tesla Model 3s and Model Ys and asked if I could have one of those. She said no since those had been pre booked by other clients, so I decided to take a walk over to National to see what they had on the Aisle (turns out, not much!). Back at Hertz, I spotted a Polestar and inquired if that could be an option. She left to “check” for what seemed like an eternity. When she came back, she smiled and said I could take a Model 3. Ten minutes later I was on my way … could have saved me 30 minutes and said yes to start! Overall, not as delightful a Platinum experience as other stations.

JohnnyP

One question on Platinum: Why do they make us wait in line in the booth? Seems like the least premium experience you can think of! Could there be a better way to do this?

DJ_Iceman

100%! Overall I love the Hertz Platinum service, but this seems like the weirdest, non-premium-est part of the experience. I guess that Hertz assumes everyone is going to get and use the curbside service, but the reality is that many locations haven't brought that back after COVID. So not only do we not get that, we don't even get the standard "find your name on the gold board" service or the "pick whatever car you want from your elite status tier" service.

Hollandair

I have a reservation for U3 (Shelby convertable) at LAX for a week. Having Platinum status and this reservation, do you think they are flexible in giving almost every car they might have except for the really top notch? With the gas prices I am not too happy with a Shelby ;-)

FlyinHawaiian

Platinum service at LAX is really reduced, along with the fleet. You do have some leverage but alternative vehicles may be not plentiful.