Valet ParkingOnly for the Rich?Not AnyMore


BY JOHN VAN HORN T


HE FELLOWATTHE PARTYTOLD us that valet parking was for rich folks who drove Beemers and Mercedes. The regular guy should park his own car.We knew better.


Parking Today took a look at valet


parking, and the results were not surprising to us butmay shock a few. Previously, itwas truly a “non-egalitari-


an” feature due primarily to the price point differential between regular parking pricing and the cost of valet parking. It was “con- nected” with five-star hotels and restaurants. Valets wore red jackets and white gloves. Oh, these places exist, but now valet parking has become


more of a necessity in many businesses. Shopping centers and congested neighborhoods use valets to help increase the avail-


ability of parking where it’s limited. (After all, valets can stack park and often double the capacity of parking areas.) On-street parking, where valet stations are located in every


Most of the media seldom use valet.


block or so, allow people to use them no matter where they are shopping. In some neighborhoods, where shops, clubs and bars have high traffic in the evenings, this serv- ice is invaluable. Now, valet parking is popping up in


hospitals where often complimentary serv- ice is offered to visitors and patients.Air- ports are adding the feature to both on- and off-airport locations. Self-parking prices are going up, and


valet prices aren’t rising nearly as fast. The differential between the two can be as little as two or three dollars.Many people who passed on using the valet service are now saying “why not?” Tony Policella, owner ofValet Parking Service in LosAnge- les, says the valets set the “tone” of the venue.A case in point


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JULY 2009 • PARKING TODAY • www.parkingtoday.com


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