Club Tocoo!, a Revolutionary Internet-Based Travel Reservation Service, Realizes 72% Discount on Car Rental Service in Japan -- Tokyo, Japan

Three months after the debut of its discounted hotel room reservation service on their web site, Club Tocoo!, a revolutionary Internet-based Japanese travel agency launched an English-language car rental service on October 1st, 2003. By utilizing otherwise unrented rental cars, Club Tocoo! English is able to offer as much as a 72% discount on normal prices charged. This translates into as little as 2010Yen (About US$19) per car per day.

(PRWEB) October 8, 2003 --"Japan has always been an expensive place for travelers. Whether they are looking to rent a car to explore the Japanese countryside, or looking for a cheap hotel stay in a city, travelers were never given the best deal. We launched Club Tocoo! English in order to put an end to this unfortunate situation and make it possible for international travelers to experience the real Japan. Japan is no longer an expensive country for traveling any more." says Keiji Nishimura, the Founder & President of Coocom Co., Ltd.

Coocom is now in search of overseas business partners that are able to cooperate in this capacity. It has also launched affiliate programs that would provide affiliates with attractive offers and content for their users.

The launch of the English-language car rental service is a part of their expanding services. Currently, they have more than 150 affiliate discounted hotels nationwide on their web site. Making use of the vacant room use concept as well as last-minute booking, the rates are up to 77% off and as low as 1050Yen (About $9.5) per person per night. Air travel packages services will be added later this year.

Club Tocoo! started five years ago in Japan. Its unique and revolutionary service is based on principles such as separate charges for meals and beds, the utilization of otherwise vacant rooms at discounted prices, with no commission from the hotels. Its principle is based on the assumption that once accommodation charges are lowered to those of other foreign countries, traveling to and within Japan can be more easily realized. The service is run solely on the membership fees, which eliminates the conventional unclear charging system by informing the customer exactly what is charged by the hotels. The service now has a membership of more than 310,000, and the number of registered hotels has increased to 2,200 within Japan.

Keiji Nishimura thinks the reason for the success of Club Tocoo! lies in the fact that it "has stuck to a system that is radically different from that of conventional travel agencies, and has established that system as a successful business model in the field of internet travel reservation. We believe our clear charging system and allowing international travelers the choice of having their meals elsewhere go a long way in meeting their needs. Our service has started from a traveler's viewpoint, and we will continue to provide travel services that are focused on travelers."

Founder & President Nishimura started the Akiyado Club (the "hotel vacancy club," the original club name) with only 42 hotels in January 1998. With a catch line of "overnight stays for only 1200 yen by vacant room use," its services have been observed by the media from the beginning. It has gained a number of users through word-of-mouth since the Japanese version launched five years ago. Now has more than 300,000 members and 2,000 hotels, 900 rent-a-car branches nationwide, and 1,000 vacation packages.
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