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McCarran Rent-a-Car Center
Rating Details »
13 reviews for McCarran Rent-a-Car Center
This car rental center is really set up well...we have only have quick & fast help here in the rental center. Once we get to the car rental company you chose that's another review - ALAMO I'm talking about you!!
It's clean and cool in there. :)
pros... just the best car rental center i have ever been to. sounds funny but this can make or break your vacation. think about it, this is the first real important thing you do after getting your luggage from the carousel, right?
the center was clean, and most importantly out in vegas, was this place was air conditioned. the shuttles were also clean and the drivers friendly and helpful. don't forget to tip them either when they help you with your bag(s). there is even a little kiosk which sells all sorts of snacks, water, sandwiches, ice cream and other edible items.
we got to the rental place in no time flat, about 10 minutes ride away. we walked in and was greeted with a cool, well thought out space. the rental agencies were clearly marked and in about 15-20 minutes we were in the car and driving off to vegas. the lot was big and though not air conditioned, was at least shaded, but then in vegas it can be 100 degrees in the shade.
on the return trip, it's just as easy and well thought out. you drive your rental back to the center, and you find the right agency and then you just drive the car in and they scan your paperwork, and then scan the rental, and you are done. nothing else but to get out of the rental, collect your stuff and walk inside the a/c terminal and wait the 5 minutes for the shuttle to take you back to the airport!
cons... wish this design, concept, would spread to all airports.
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The shuttle driver that drove us from the airport was very helpful and friendly. The shuttle bus was clean. Once we reached the rent-a- car center, I noticed that the building was clean and very organized. Each rental company had their own separate spaces/offices. The bathrooms were very sanitary. The staff that worked there were friendly and accomodating.
Before the major makeover that McCarran is still fixing up, finding a place to rent a car was a nightmare. The baggage claim area was always a mess and finding ground transportation was a chore especially for out of towners (which is almost everyone). Enter the MCCarran Rent-a-Car Center, a facility located roughly 3 miles away from the airport terminals, unveiled a little over a year ago and is probably one of the airports most needed features.
There is a free shuttle to the Rent-A-Car facility, which from the outside looks like an arena or a mall, but one for car companies galore. Finding a car here is no problem and the entire process was easy as pie. The conveniences don't stop here, there are various airport shuttles from this location and there are check-ins available during peak seasons to expedite passenger processing. I applaud the folks behind the curtains who pulled the trigger to execute this marvelous idea. Bravo.
People thought this was:
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Easy to catch the shuttle bus to the rent-a-car center even though it is about a 10 minute ride. The center itself is laid out well and has all of the major car companies, and then some. I was able to easier go up the escalator the Hertz Gold lot, find my car, and I was off. Returning the car was also easy - lots of signs coming off of I-15 South (Exit #34). Since there is a shuttle bus involved, make sure you leave plenty of time before your flight.
Super fast and convenient. They get you in and out. There is always a shuttle going to/from the airport and center. When we headed back, we just literally dropped off the car, took an elevator and escalator to the main floor, hopped on a shuttle and was at the airport in no time! It took about a total of 15 minutes MAX! The line to check in took longer than that!.
If the rental company has an express check-in, I recomment you use it because sometimes the lines can be long.
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Here's my personal experiences....
Always book online directly from the Car Rental company....you can always cancel or modify your reservations afterwards. You might not be able to do that through a third-party website (ie. hotwire, priceline, etc.).
Shopped around online and finally decided to book a sub-compact from Dollar Rent a Car. Used my Amex because it had additional auto insurance coverage so I didn't need to purchase any insurance from Dollar. Joined their Dollar Express membership online by providing my drivers license and added a credit card to my profile. This allows me to avoid the line-ups and go directly to the garage to pick up the car.
Once I got off the plane and picked up my luggage, I hopped onto the Car Rental shuttle bus (signs are outside the terminal). I waited 2 minutes before the bus arrived and it took an additional 10 minutes to get to the McCarran Rental Car Center.
Tipped the bus driver, headed inside the Center and went straight downstairs to the Dollar garage to present my Dollar Express card (which I got in the mail before the trip) along with a photo ID. It took 2 minutes to print out the contract and get it signed. You then go to the sub-compact section to select and inspect the vehicle you want yourself. Keys are in the ignition...you just start it up and drive to the exit to present your signed contract along with a photo ID.
Attached my garmin GPS that I brought from home and I am done with the whole rental matter. The whole thing took about 30 minutes after getting off the plane. If I was not an Express customer, it would have taken another 45 minutes or more.
Parking is free everywhere on the strip. I only paid parking when I went to Fremont street. It always bugged me that I had to pay 22-25 bucks round trip taxi for an "In-N-Out Burger" craving. Also I would always wait 15-25 minutes to get a taxi back to the strip when I went to chinatown for a meal. I had a pho craving at 2am one night and a rented car resolved all these issues.
Returning the Car: Make sure you fill-up the night before returning the car. The Rental center is open 24/7....just follow the "return car" signs and find your rental company. Park it and give your contract to the attendant. He is able to print out your invoice with a portable handheld machine. This took 1 minute. Hopped on a shuttle bus outside and headed to the airport (make sure you know which terminal) which took another 11-12 minutes. It was effortless...but you need to make sure you show up at least a hour or two before the flight.
This was the first time I rented a car and I plan to do this everytime. I paid $275-$300 in taxi fees on my previous trip. This car rental cost me $9 per day with unlimited milage (plus taxes) and I used up $13.50 in fuel. It was definitely worth it and I would recommend it to all (unless you plan to drink a lot).
Hope this info helps.
We got off the plane - Reno to Vegas took only 45 minutes, caught a tran to the other end of the airport, then hopped on a shuttle bus that speedy delivered us to the rent-a-car center...... then we got to rent a car place and got to stand in line at Dollar Rent A Car for almost 2 HOURS.... Dollar is popular, because none of the other places had such a long line - I will be joining the Express Membership thing is another reviewer has suggested!!!! ((thanks))
We finally got our wheels, went to the parking lot where we got to pick any car we wanted from the last row, and drove out.....
Leaving the Rent-A-Center going to the strip is SIMPLE..... 3 rights and your on Las Vegas Blvd "The Strip"
Coming back you seem to forget - so just drive all the way back down the strip (LV BLVD) go past Fry's stay in the left lane, and follow the signs to the airport and you'll see the signs for the Rent-A -Car Center - RETURNS - pull in hand em your keys and your done! Back on the shuttle for a 7 minute ride to the airport!!!
DONT FORGET to fill the car back up with gas before returning it - or they will charge you $7.20 cents per gallon for gas!!! OUCH!!!!! OUCH!!!!!! OUCH!!!!!
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huge separate area for car rental. all if most reputable companies are represented by counters that are ready to serve.
garage to house all the rentals is also huge.
prepare to queue up during peak months.
This new centralized location for car rentals at McCarran works great. I didn't even know about it when I got to Vegas, but went thru the whole experience on this last trip.
There are even kiosks to print your boarding passes in the lobby area at no charge. Very Convenient!!!
I saw a set-up for bag check in but it wasn't manned both times when I passed by, so I'm not sure it's in operation. They do charge you if you use it though.
Every other time I rented a car in Vegas I always got lost trying to get to the Car rental return lot, because all the Car lots were in different Areas. When I returned my car on this trip, all I had to do was get on 215 from I-15 and follow the signs, it was very easy.
The best car rental experience ever 5 Stars * * * * *
Note: I like the location away from the airport better, because you don't get stuck in all the AIRPORT traffic.
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The shuttle ride TO the airport seemed an awful lot longer than the shuttle ride FROM the airport. So that was weird. Other than that oh-so-helpful little tidbit, I have nothing to add to what the previous reviewers have said. Except that there is, indeed, gasoline relatively closeby, which is helpful if you don't want to get charged $35 a gallon by Alamo.
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What a concept...a centralized rental car location which is home to 11 of the top car rental companies. A speedy shuttle bus from McCarran Airport takes you to the remote location to pick up your vehicle. No longer do you have to wait in line at the airport to take care of your paperwork. Instead, the wait is taken offsite. Located a few miles south of the end of the Strip, it's easy to remember how to get there...no need to be confused by the airport signs. My only gripe, it's not AT the airport.
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I thought that the off-site car rental center seemed like a good idea. We dropped off our rental car in a jiffy, hopped on a shuttle to the airport and were checked in for our flights in less than 20 minutes. That was nice. Plus it helped that we weren't stuck in airport traffic and whatnot.
