The Thrifty Traveler Podcast Beating the Rental Car Companies & Hotel Chains, with AutoSlash’s Jonathan Weinberg
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Oct 9, 2025 Jonathan Weinberg, founder and CEO of AutoSlash and HotelSlash, shares his journey from Wall Street to travel tech. He reveals how AutoSlash disrupts the rental car industry with price tracking and coupon testing. The conversation touches on Georgia's rising popularity as a travel destination and the exciting expansion of Park Hyatt properties worldwide. Jonathan discusses the impact of his 9/11 experience on his career and emphasizes the importance of consumer-first strategies in the travel sector.
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Putting Consumers First Pays Off
- Building consumer-first travel tools can antagonize suppliers but earns long-term customer trust and business.
- AutoSlash deliberately prioritized consumers and later found sustainable growth despite industry pushback.
Near-Death Moment Shaped His Path
- Jonathan was on the 77th floor of World Trade Center Tower 2 on 9/11 and narrowly escaped because he left the conference room minutes before the plane struck.
- The experience reinforced his seize-the-day mindset and influenced his career choices toward travel entrepreneurship.
Force-Brute Your Rental Rate
- Use AutoSlash to brute-force every coupon and discount combination for a rental car rate.
- Let AutoSlash track prices and rebook when rates drop so you don't waste time checking manually.