Showing posts with label rental. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rental. Show all posts

4 May 2022

OXO Living introduces real estate concierge service in Bali

Bali's boutique property developer and management services provider, OXO Living, has launched Asia's inaugural real estate concierge service. Designed as the perfect companion for those looking to purchase*, sell, rent or develop exceptional designer homes in Bali's most desirable addresses, OXO Living's Real Estate Concierge provides clients with expert assistance, time-saving and risk-reducing solutions as well as the key to personalised services for all things real estate in Indonesia.

According to OXO Living, traditional property agents end their services when the purchasing process is completed, whereas their Real Estate Concierge does not. Each property in OXO Living's portfolio meets the team's stringent standards in architecture, interior design, engineering and construction in alignment with OXO Living's brand ethos of Effortless Living. The real estate opportunities presented to clients are chosen to match their lifestyle and investment objectives, the company said.

Property rental and transactions in Bali are known to be a challenging undertaking since most publicly available information tends to be outdated or unreliable. Through close-knit relationships forged with homeowners and partners over the years, complemented by OXO Living's expert market knowledge, the Real Estate Concierge will relieve clients from complex, time-consuming struggles that come with navigating Bali's property landscape, OXO Living said. In addition, the team provides access to the island's off-market properties.

Aside from off-market rental options, the concierge also allows for the short and long-term rental of OXO portfolio in Bali. These include luxury jungle residences in Buwit, Tabanan, family lofts with scenic views in Canggu plus townhouses and studio units in Berawa. A local OXO Rental Manager is available to facilitate move-in, transport, travel and international owners' visa arrangements.

OXO Living also offers the expertise and resources to style, renovate and extend homes to match their owners' lifestyle needs and taste.

“With this innovative Real Estate Concierge service, we can provide buyers and sellers the best of both worlds,” said Johannes Weissenbaeck, founder and CEO of OXO Living.

“The buyer benefits from exclusive access and deep understanding of Bali's luxury property market, while the seller can leverage on our discreet and professional concierge service in ensuring that the architectural significance of his home remains well-appreciated by its next owner.”

“There are only very few things that money cannot buy – health and time. Just like how you can entrust your health to the very best medical specialists, you can also save precious time by entrusting OXO Real Estate Concierge for all things real estate here in Indonesia,” said OXO Living partner Michael Luible.

*There are various regulations governing the ownership of property by non-Indonesians, as OXO Living explains in a blog post.

31 January 2019

RYDE launches hourly booking service

Source: RYDE. Screen captures from RydeHIRE.
Ryde, Singapore’s homegrown ride-hailing app, has launched RydeHIRE, an hourly private-hire booking service.

RydeHIRE caters to both individuals and businesses. Users can book a private-hire vehicle for a few hours as opposed to a per-trip basis. This is useful for people who need a driver to drive them to a few destinations with some waiting time in between stops.

Terence Zou, founder and CEO of Ryde Technologies says, “We are very excited to be the first to launch this innovative product that will provide more choice for consumers and also increase the incomes for our drivers.”


Ryde's mission is to transform the daily commute, one ride at a time, using technology and leveraging on the power of social networks. Ryde's successful carpooling services, launched 2015, have expanded further into the mobility space with a ComfortDelGro partnership.

Details:

Rates start from S$30 per hour for four-seaters and S$40 per hour for six-seater vehicles. Rates will fluctuate based on demand, going up during peak periods and on public holidays. Users can book their ride for between two and six hours and pay for the service via RydePAY.

The Ryde app is available for download for iOS and Android.

17 December 2017

Uber says 38,000 riders and drivers in Singapore affected by security breach

In October 2016, Uber experienced a data security breach related to rider and driver accounts. The company has since shared that approximately 380,000 riders and drivers were affected in Singapore.

"This is an approximation rather than an accurate and definitive count because sometimes the information we get through the app or our website that we use to assign a country code is not the same as the country where a person actually lives," the company said online.

Riders' information that was stolen included the names, email addresses, and mobile phone numbers related to accounts globally. "Our outside forensics experts have not seen any indication that trip location history, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, or dates of birth were downloaded," Uber said.

According to Uber, the company took immediate steps to secure the data, shut down further unauthorised access, and strengthen its data security when the incident occurred, and does not believe any individual rider needs to take any action. "We have seen no evidence of fraud or misuse tied to the incident. We are monitoring the affected accounts and have flagged them for additional fraud protection," Uber said online.

In early December, Uber and ComfortDelGro in Singapore entered into a strategic agreement whereby ComfortDelGro will acquire a 51% stake in Uber’s wholly-owned car rental subsidiary in Singapore, Lion City Rentals (LCR). Uber will retain a 49% ownership stake in LCR, maintaining a very active role in the company, in addition to holding three of the seven seats on LCR’s board. The Uber and ComfortDelGro brands and mobile applications will continue to operate independently.

Brooks Entwistle, Chief Business Officer of Uber’s business in Asia Pacific said at the time, "This strategic collaboration is good news for our two companies, it is also great for riders, drivers and for Singapore. ComfortDelGro shares our vision for the future of urban mobility, and with this joint venture Comfort and Uber can accelerate this shared vision of the future, powered by technology that unlocks the true potential of Singapore, for everyone, everywhere.

"This joint venture is also a testament to the tremendous potential of ridesharing technology in this highly competitive local transportation market, and to our commitment to partnering for greater growth as we continue to build a sustainable global business."

Editor's note:

Uber is a common target for cybercriminals who have obtained stolen credit card details. They may open an Uber account with the details, and typically start with a small transaction to test the waters, growing increasingly bolder with larger transactions over time, all small enough not to raise any alarm bells with the card-issuing bank. Several transactions are made a day, every day. Some people have also seen mystery transactions in the Uber or UberEATS accounts they own. It pays to check Uber as well as credit card accounting records carefully to nip any suspicious activity in the bud.

I discovered my own Uber credit card scam by chance, several days after cybercriminals began charging my credit card for rides in Sydney, Australia. In less than a week, the cybercriminals had racked up over S$1,300 in Uber charges.

The banks are quite familiar with Uber-related thefts and will typically block the existing credit card and replace it with no questions asked. The opportunity cost is however with the owner of the credit card who has to do without a credit card for several days, while they wait for their new card to arrive.

15 June 2017

Singapore Science Park 1 to trial personal mobility device sharing scheme

Source: Ascendas-Singbridge. Tan Yew Chin, CEO, Singapore and Southeast Asia, Ascendas-Singbridge; Karen Lee, Head, Singapore Portfolio Operations, Ascendas Funds Management; Wang, Khiatani, Han Tui Heng, Assistant CEO, Singapore and Southeast Asia, Ascendas-Singbridge; William Tay, Deputy CEO, Singapore and Southeast Asia, Ascendas-Singbridge.
Source: Ascendas-Singbridge. Tan Yew Chin, CEO, Singapore and Southeast Asia, Ascendas-Singbridge; Karen Lee, Head, Singapore Portfolio Operations, Ascendas Funds Management; Wang, Khiatani, Han Tui Heng, Assistant CEO, Singapore and Southeast Asia, Ascendas-Singbridge; William Tay, Deputy CEO, Singapore and Southeast Asia, Ascendas-Singbridge.

Asia’s sustainable urban and business space solutions, provider, Ascendas-Singbridge Group, has partnered intelligent transportation solutions provider Neuron Mobility to launch a six-month personal mobility devices (PMD) sharing trial at Singapore Science Park 1. This is part of the group’s broader efforts to provide tenants, staff and visitors of Singapore Science Park 1 with greater accessibility and convenience within the park.

From 14 June to 13 December 2017, 50 GPS-enabled e-scooters and 20 bicycles will be available for rent from six parking zones situated in Singapore Science Park 1, at Ascent, The Franklin, CINTECH I and IV, 3Cs (The Chadwick, Curie and Cavendish) and opposite Oasis building. For a small fee, tenants, staff, and visitors to Singapore Science Park 1 will be able to able to rent an e-scooter or bicycle, ride it to their destination, then return it to a parking zone.

Manohar Khiatani, Deputy Group CEO of Ascendas-Singbridge said: “Our tenants will now have an efficient, alternative mode of transport to work, meetings, lunch or other social appointments in and around the Park. The trial will allow us to gauge receptivity to the scheme and monitor usage so that we can improve intermodal connectivity and point-to-point travel within Singapore Science Park 1.”

The PMD sharing scheme is expected to supplement the shuttle bus services and public transport serving Singapore Science Park 1 for ad-hoc, short-distance travel. Apart from location tracking to enable proper use of its devices, Neuron’s intelligent transport solution will monitor travel patterns and frequencies. Backed by international patents, this proprietary system leverages different sensors in Internet of things (IoT) technologies to deliver a differentiated user experience through advanced analytics and insights.

Zachary Wang, CEO of Neuron Mobility, noted that Singapore Science Park 1 is an excellent testbed location. He said: “To be a truly viable large-scale firstand-last-mile solution, it is more than just providing reliable personal mobility devices. It is about being equipped to manage and optimise the entire network, which we pride ourselves in."

Once the six-month trial concludes, AscendasSingbridge will undertake a detailed review of the scheme as it considers the next rollout phase.

Interested?

During the trial, users can rent the PMDs on an ad-hoc basis, at a rate of S$0.50 per 15 minutes through Neuron’s mobile application platform. Subscription passes will also be introduced progressively during the trial.

Read the TechTrade Asia blog post about Neuron Mobility's use of location-based technology from Esri

24 December 2016

Hertz is now Cathay Pacific's exclusive car rental service provider

Hertz Global has become the exclusive car rental service provider of Hong Kong-based international carrier Cathay Pacific. As part of the agreement, the car rental company has launched a specifically-created Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty website to provide Cathay Pacific's passengers with convenient access to a broad range of vehicles and offers at around 10,000 locations globally. In addition Cathay Pacific passengers will now receive an automatic 5% discount on Hertz Rent a Car basic car rental globally.

The new agreement is the extension of the longstanding partnership between Hertz and Cathay Pacific's frequent flyer programme Asia Miles. Members of Asia Miles will continue to earn up to 500 Asia Miles and receive a 10% discount on basic car rental when renting with Hertz.

"Becoming the exclusive car rental service provider of Cathay Pacific is a significant milestone in our longstanding partnership with the airline," said Eoin MacNeill, VP, Hertz Asia Pacific. "The new, exclusive multibrand website we have launched for Cathay Pacific's passengers will enable them to find the car rental service that best suits their needs in just a few clicks. It is an honour for us to continue to grow our relationship with such a prominent carrier, which, like us, is strongly committed to excellence in customer service. We are looking forward to continuing to offer Asia Miles members exclusive benefits and to serve all Cathay Pacific passengers looking for convenience and reliable options when renting a car."

Roberto Abbondio, MD, Cathay Pacific Holidays, said: "At Cathay Pacific, we care about our passengers' experience at every stage of their journey - from the moment they visit our website to make their booking, until they reach their destination and beyond - and our exciting new partnership with Hertz Global underlines our commitment to a Life Well Travelled. Providing our customers with more choice and convenience beyond our award-winning flying experience is very important to us and we are delighted to be teaming up with Hertz Global, a company that has built a well-earned reputation for world-class customer service."

Interested?

To celebrate the new agreement, Hertz Global has launched time-limited discounts of up to 20% on basic car rental for Cathay Pacific's passengers renting with Hertz at participating locations in the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Asia, namely Brunei, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

To benefit from the promotion, passengers need to book their Hertz vehicle before January 31, 2017 and collect it between January 1, 2017 and March 31, 2017. In addition, members of Asia Miles will earn up to 2,000 extra miles for every qualifying rental. Specific terms and conditions apply*.

On top of enjoying a 10% discount and Asia Miles earning capabilities when renting with Hertz, Green and Silver members of the airline's Marco Polo Club will receive a complimentary one car class upgrade. Marco Polo Club Gold and Diamond members will be also entitled to the 10% discount off the basic car rental price on vehicles from Hertz's Prestige and Fun Collections, and to a two car class upgrade at no extra cost, subject to availability. Specific terms and conditions apply**.

*Full terms and conditions of the time-limited promotion

**Full terms and conditions of the special benefits offered to Asia Miles and Marco Polo Club members

21 September 2016

Booqed lists workspaces for hire

Online marketplace Booqed has launched its meeting room and workspace search, booking and transaction phone app of the same name on the Apple App Store. Providing a faster way for anyone to leverage an available meeting or working area in a city, the app allows users to locate available areas, place an immediate or forward reservation, then pay for the usage of the space from a smartphone or tablet.

The service also benefits businesses with meeting or conference rooms that can sit vacant through the day. Booqed allows such companies to monetise the facilities instead.

Source: The Hive Kennedy Town, Hong Kong, a co-working space and a Booqed venue partner. Space at The Hive Kennedy Town can be booked via the Booqed app.
Source: The Hive Kennedy Town, Hong Kong, a co-working space and a Booqed venue partner. Space at The Hive Kennedy Town can be booked via the Booqed app.

“The new economy is one that is both dynamic and mobile. Business people travelling overseas might need to host a meeting that requires more privacy than what a nearby cafe can offer. Freelancers, students, associations or just about anyone that requires a bit of space and discretion for a quiet discussion or simply get some work done, will find Booqed easy and convenient to use,” said David Wong, CEO, Booqed. “We are disrupting the traditional way meetings and work happens you might say.”

Interested?

Currently available for download on the Apple App Store, the service presently lists rooms in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, and will soon include Singapore.

The app will be on Google Play for Android users in early 2017. Sydney will be available by the end of the year and other markets including Beijing, Shanghai, Melbourne and Tokyo will be supported in phases over 2017.

A photo posted by Booqed (@getbooqed) on

Hashtag: #booqed

22 December 2015

Rush for office space in Metro Manila continues in Q315

Premium and Grade A office space takeup in Metro Manila's main business districts (CBDs) continued to accelerate in Q315 due to strong pre-leasing activity, according to the most recent Office Briefing published by Savills international associate KMC MAG Group, a Philippines real estate services firm.

More than 200,000 sq m (232,961) was newly delivered in Q3, and almost everything was snapped up, at 231,412 sq m - a record takeup rate. 

"Most of the new spaces delivered have been pre-leased prior to completion; that is why takeup is very high," said Michael McCullough, KMC MAG Managing Director.

Upcoming supply is estimated to reach around 1.8-million sq m in 2018. Despite the significant amount of supply, KMC MAG says that overall office rental and vacancy rates are expected to remain stable given the strong pre-leasing activity.

"We continue to see interest from both local and foreign firms across all CBDs, although most of the interest is currently in Bonifacio Global City (BGC) only because it is where most of the new supply will come from," said McCullough.

"The profiles of companies who have pre-leased or are currently pre-leasing space vary across all CBDs. Ortigas, Bay Area, and Quezon City are very attractive to new IT-BPO firms who are just starting to outsource services and processes to the Philippines because of the lower rates.

"Makati remains the CBD of choice for large-scale enterprises who want to upgrade their headquarters and move to a better location, however many firms are forced to look towards BGC due to the lack of available and suitable space."

Thanks to the sustained IT-BPO industry demand and the relatively low level of new supply in these areas, Bay Area and Quezon City are projected to have the lowest vacancy rates and strongest rental rate growth among the business districts within the next 12 months.

In Q3, the Bay Area recorded a 17% year on year (YoY) rental rate growth, with Grade A rentals averaging from Php673.4 to Php700 per sq m/month and an ultra-low 1.3% vacancy rate.

Meanwhile, Quezon City posted an 8.5% YoY growth, with average Grade A office rates ranging from Php700.4 to Php750.0 per sq m/month. Located in the northernmost part of Metro Manila, Quezon City boasts vacancy rates of under 1% with only 0.2% of its total stock unoccupied, making it the best performing CBD in the country this quarter.

Makati, on the other hand, remains as the premium CBD, posting a 4.3% YoY growth with the highest asking net Grade A rental rates averaging Php 979.1 to Php 1400.0 per sq m/month. In spite of this, Makati's vacancy rate remains low at 3%, and is likely to become lower once Tower 6789 becomes fully occupied.

BGC comes in next, with a rental growth of 3.7% YoY and an average asking rental rate of Php860.4 to Php1,100 per sq m/month. The district's vacancy rate increased slightly to 2.6%; however, it should be noted that this is because it has absorbed most of the new demand, allowing it to post its highest recorded quarterly takeup since Q114 of 49,639 sq m.

Ortigas' growth remains strong at 6.8% YoY, bringing average rental rates up to Php624.6 per sq m/month, with an upper rate of Php750 per sq m/month. Ortigas' strong rental growth is expected to continue, given its current 2.5% vacancy rate and lack of new supply until the end of 2016.

Alabang is the only CBD office market with sluggish growth. YoY growth was 0.6% and vacancy rates 16%. This brought down the average asking rental rates to Php 605.3per sq m/month in Q315 from Php601.8 per sq m/month a year ago.

Interested?

Read the report (PDF)

17 May 2015

Travelauto offers special monthly deal for car rentals in Dubai

Source: Travelauto.com website.

Car rental marketplace Travelauto.com has a summer promotion* for monthly car rentals in Dubai. The Nissan Micra is available at AED1,450 per month and a brand new Toyota Yaris at AED 1,685 per month. 

Travelauto.com Marketing Manger Yuvaraj Rajendran said Toyota Yaris and Nissan Micra have emerged as some of the most economical cars on the road and reducing the monthly rental prices will make it easier for long term car renters to choose to rent them. 

"These are the best deals in the market today and travelauto.com is committed to ensure that travellers are able to access fuel-efficient cars at the lowest prices in Dubai," he said, pointing out that new licence holders in Dubai may rent cars in Dubai from Travelauto.com. 

“We always seek ways to improve our car rental services thus giving our customers something to smile about. Our aim is to ensure that travellers can go about their business without worrying about the high cost of car hire while at the same time maintaining a very high standard of services; this is what these unbeatable prices are all about,” said Chandra Mouli, CEO, Travelauto.com. 

“Customers are welcome to check the daily and weekly car rental rates which are pre-discounted to offer the best savings to the customers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. This kind of offer will be coming up more on Travelauto for many more locations.” 

*Depending on the availability of the specified car models. 

15 May 2015

GoTripy Car Rentals now offers services in 11 cities in India

Source: GoTripy Car Rentals' website.

GoTripy Car Rentals is now live in 11 Indian cities. The company recently relaunched its website to offer enhanced online booking convenience.

GoTripy's fleet of budget and luxury cars together with professional drivers are now available in Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Aurangabad, Shirdi, Kolhapur, Delhi, Gurgaon, Bangalore and Ahmedabad. Car rental services offered include local transfers, one day intra-city tours, sightseeing, airport/railway station transfers, inter-city tours, outstation weekend getaways, business/corporate trips, and multi-city tours. 

The rental fleet includes compact cars such as the Tata Indica, economy SUVs like the Chevrolet Tavera and Mahindra Scorpio, as well as economy sedans from the Tata Indigo and Maruti Swift Dzire to the Mahindra Logan. Premium vehicles include luxury SUVs such as the Toyota Innova and Mahindra Xylo; vans like the Tata Winger, and luxury sedans (Toyota Corolla, Honda City). 

Prices start from Rs7.5 per km. 

10 April 2015

Avis opens new office in Malacca, Malaysia

Avis Car Rental has opened its 8th location in Malaysia. The new facility is at the Holiday Inn Melaka, Jalan Syed Abdul Aziz, Malacca.

The new location offers late-model vehicles such as the economy-size Toyota Passo, the compact Honda City, the full-size Toyota Camry and the Nissan X-Trail sports utility vehicle. Avis also offers renters GPS navigation devices, child safety seats and fuel service options. 

Avis' other locations in Malaysia include at the Holiday Inn Kuala Lumpur Glenmarie, at Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel City Centre, inside terminals 1 and 2 of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Penang Bayan Lepas International Airport, Kuantan Airport and at Menara Zurich at the Johor Bahru Downtown Office.

For more information or to make a reservation, visit the website or call 1 800 88 2847.

22 March 2015

Travelauto.com partners with Arabia Cars Oman

Source: Travelauto.com website.

Travelauto.com, a car rental marketplace, has announced that Arabia Cars Oman has joined the Travelauto family to provide car rental services in Oman. Arabia Cars Rental Company covers an extensive region throughout the Sultanate and its addition to travelauto.com is expected to make car rental highly competitive and affordable to travelers visiting the country. The company provides travelers with a varied fleet of more than 1,000 vehicles available for spot rentals and corporate long-term rental.

The addition of Arabia Cars to the car rental platform comes on the wheels of other major additions which include rental companies such as Enterprise Rent-a-car, Go Rent-a-car and Flight Cars among others. It is expected that this addition will help cover a wider region while at the same time allowing travelers to access budget car rental services throughout Oman. 

Travelauto.com has registered a tremendous growth over the years in neighbouring UAE and the addition of the major car rental agencies in Oman to their platform is expected to provide travelers with a wide range of options to pick from when they travel to other GCC countries as well. With Arabia Cars, travelers visiting to Muscat Oman can pre-book their car rental online and can pick the car upon arrival at Muscat Airport.

Travelauto is designed to help travellers to engage with car rental service providers directly. Anyone can open an account with Travelauto or compare car rental prices from any location.

Read our blog post on limo services by Travelauto.com here.

2 February 2015

Commercial property outlook for Q4 2014 weakest in Hong Kong

P1030630
Singapore Marina Bay business district at night.


The RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) Global Commercial Property Monitor for Q4 2014 has indicated that although key economic indicators continue to point to a softening in the economy in Hong Kong, economic growth is likely to pick up at a steady pace this year.

In Hong Kong, the RICS Occupier Sentiment Index* (OSI) fell slightly over the quarter from +4 to -3, while the RICS Investment Sentiment Index* (ISI) remained in negative territory in Q4, recording a value of -3. Tenant demand continued to increase in both office and industrial sectors, but a sharp decline was reported in retail. 


Over the next three months, rents are expected to grow in the office and industrial sectors, but fall in the retail arena. It is worth highlighting that on the investment front, the supply of commercial property for sale grew across each sector with retail units registering the steepest increase. Finally, over the next twelve months, the capital value of prime office space is expected to grow by 4%. Prime industrial space is expected to grow by 3%. No growth in capital value is predicted for prime retail space.

In mainland China, moderation in economic growth continues to weigh on overall commercial property sentiment. Moderate occupier demand and growing available space have pushed the headline rental value expectations into negative territory. 

In Singapore, sentiment in the investment market is weakening. Strong rental growth is expected in the office sector over the coming three months, but rents are expected to decline for industrial and retail sectors. 

In Japan, the near term outlook is still robust despite significant economic headwinds. Tightening market conditions continue to place upward pressure on rents, which are anticipated to rise strongly across the board at both the three and twelve month horizons.

RICS Senior Economist Andy Wu said: "We believe Hong Kong remains in a weaker position when compared to other Asian markets, with the growing uncertainty of the political situation and the lack of growth in the economy likely causing an unstained level of occupier activity and smaller scale flows of capital into the city this year. Values are faltering as a result of occupiers and investors being cautious over market prospects. 

"As such, the RICS Q4's overall property performance isn't surprising. Indeed, sentiment has been soft in line with its underlying economic fundamentals, and whilst it is important to focus on the wider market, it is worth highlighting that certain sub-sectors still remain downbeat, namely retail. The Q4 decline provides further evidence of the fragility of retail sector health and we believe this will continue until there is a sustained upturn in consumer spending growth. 

"Turning to Singapore, pretty much the same could be said of occupier and investor markets, with commercial property performing unsatisfactorily.

"As the economic challenges in China continue throughout rest of the year, it is likely to see a more pronounced divergence in the performance of commercial property markets between Tier 1 and lower-tier cities. Indeed, the economic slowdown has continued to hold back occupier activity, resulting in static rental values. Interestingly enough, SMEs and larger firms have continued to exercise a cautious approach to take space. They have attempted to minimise risk and cost through delaying the expansion or looking to downsize space. This reluctance to commit to new space has weighed on activity and left a growing quantity of stock in many of the Chinese cities.

"Q4 has continued to see positive performance in Japan. In fact, this positive trend in the commercial property sector is inconsistent with what is also being reported in the economy generally, through business surveys and other key economic data. While the levels of uncertainty surrounding the economic outlook remain, this has not prevented investors purchasing in Japan's largest cities, namely Tokyo and Osaka. What remains to be seen is whether Japanese commercial property market can continue to fare well, with a growing sense of pessimism for the economy."

*RICS Occupier Sentiment Index (OSI): The OSI is constructed by taking an unweighted average of readings for three series relating to the occupier market measured on a net balance basis: occupier demand, the level of inducements and rent expectations.

RICS Investment Sentiment Index (ISI): The ISI is constructed by taking an unweighted average of readings for three series relating to the investment market measured on a net balance** basis: investment enquiries, capital value expectations and the supply of distressed properties.

**Net balances: Net balance percents, or scores, are calculated by subtracting the numbers of respondents reporting 'down' from the number who reported 'up'.

12 July 2014

Travelauto to offer limo service rentals next

Travelauto.com, a car rental portal, expects to launch its global limo service product in July. Bookings for chauffeured limousines will be made available in the United Arab Emirates and subsequently to the rest of the countries it serves, including Oman, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Jordan, and Thailand.

Source: Travelauto.com website.

According to Travelauto.com, identifying reliable limo services has not been easy. With this service, businesses will be able to book limo services for international visitors from a list of chauffeur-driven service providers and refer to reviews from actual users. 

Said V Chandra Mouli, Founder and CEO of Travelauto Middle-East: "Travelauto has been recognised for its first class car rental customer support, with 90% of customers returning to book a car hire."