New Crete car hire era…exploring new fields

A Legacy of Innovation: From Faxes to the Digital Frontier

On April 19, 1990, Athenscars set a new industry standard by revolutionizing Collision Damage Waivers (CDW). We were the first to introduce transparent pricing and comprehensive coverage options for every customer, ensuring peace of mind long before it became a standard practice.

Pioneering the Digital Age

As the "Web" began to reshape the world, Athenscars stayed ahead of the curve. While the industry was still reliant on traditional communication, we became the first car rental company in Crete to offer online booking capabilities as early as 1996.

It was a time of great transition:

• The Fax Era: We remember the days of exchanging faxes with our guests, learning to navigate the brand-new world of email as it arrived.

• 1997 – Our First Digital Home: Partnering with Kostas Koutrakis (SimCom), we launched our very first custom website.

• 1998 – The Breakthrough: The digital investment paid off immediately, resulting in a fantastic season where travelers from across the globe could finally view rates and select their vehicles online at athenscars-crete.gr.

Constant Evolution

Our digital journey continued to evolve with the help of Kostas Koutrakis and Zacharias Lagoudakis, who developed our second-generation website using the Joomla platform. This ensured that our customers always had the most user-friendly tools at their fingertips.

Today, we continue that same spirit of innovation, ensuring that booking your Cretan adventure is as seamless now as it was groundbreaking back in 1996.

As the digital landscape evolved, Athenscars-Crete.gr expanded beyond simple bookings to become a comprehensive resource for travelers. We introduced an exclusive membership-services section alongside essential Travel Tools, providing our guests with real-time Crete weather updates, driving directions, currency converters, and local insights.

A Year of "Firsts" (2003–2004)

The early 2000s marked a period of rapid technological breakthroughs for our team:

• 2003 | Crete’s First Fully Automated Site: In partnership with GoWebMan, we launched the island’s first "automatic" booking platform. For the first time, customers could enjoy the convenience and security of instant online credit card payments.

• 2004 | The Olympic Milestone: To celebrate the 2004 Olympic Games, we launched athenscars2004.com. This expansion allowed us to serve our customers beyond Crete, providing premium car rental services in Athens during one of the most historic years in Greek history.

Whether navigating the capital or the coast, Athenscars ensured that technology was always at the service of our guests' convenience.

Nevertheless, many agencies joined the web, athenscars-Crete managed to become one of the best agencies on the island Crete! Trust the way we treat our customers. Moreover, we know a vacation is successful when it starts with an excellent car - provided at the port or airport. Enjoy your stay in Crete, book using our athenscars.gr website!

"Innovation was a family trait at Athenscars. Emmanouel Mavrakis always had an eye on the horizon, seeking out the latest technological tools and software to keep the business ahead of the times. Meanwhile, Babis Mavrakis was the driving force behind the company’s evolution, taking every new idea and turning it into a better, more personal experience for every customer who walked through their doors."

Emm. Mavrakis S.A
Address: 130 Andrea Papandreou Str.
Ammoudara | Heraklion | Chania | Crete | Greece
Phone: +30 2810 821 424,
mob. +30 6936 790 870
Email: info@athenscars.gr

E.O.T. LICENCE NR:1039 E 0081 00701 00