Cyberspace Changing the Business of Valet Parking


BY MELISSA BEAN STERZICK


munication and the speedy transfer of any and all information has altered the land- scape of commerce and hospitality. For the valet industry, these innovations increase the speed and accuracy of every function from reservations to payment to delivery.


T But it’s not a given that these technologies will


revolutionize valet parking as fast as they have changed the rest of the world.The challenge ofmak- ing web-based and digital software compatible with valet service is to bridge the gap between informa- tion and endeavor. The unseen technology of the web has to inter-


HE INTERNETAND DIG- ital technology have made huge changes in the way the world operates. It’s an under- statement to say instant com-


Customer’s “boarding pass” is scanned by valet upon arrival at a valet parking location.


face directlywith the very physical hardware of valet service – including the valets themselves, the vehicles, garages and keys. It can be a rough transition fromcyberspace to parking space, but new applications in the field of valet operation are smoothing the way. Automated Valet has created an application that links an


online reservation site directly to its operating systeminstalled at a valet service. This application is currently in use exclusively at airport valet operations. The reservation site can be set up by Automated Valet or the operator himself. Online reservation options bring valet service up to a level most people have come to expect.You can order a pizza from your desk, read the news, research dinosaurs, and even buy a car. Airlines have offered online reservations for nearly a decade. Customers who use this feature have the advantage of a valet staff that is expecting them. Tomake a reservation users log on and schedule their arrival


at and departure fromthe airport coinciding with air travel. They select dates and times and can enter their credit card number to be saved for future transactions. Users can also request special services for their car such as car wash or oil change if they are offered by the facility. The convenience of this technology benefits customers and


valet staff. For management, the reservation application helps predict how busy certain days or hours might be and facilitates scheduling. Frequent customers can be recognized and rewarded for their patronage. The valet staff has the advantage of knowing ahead of time how many customers will be arriving, and at air- ports, they have information about arrivals well before the cus- tomer lands and can prepare vehicles in a timelymanner. TheValet Boarding Pass, anotherAutomatedValet inven-


tion,works hand in handwith the online reservations application. Once the reservations are made customers receive an email including a printable ticket with a barcode that contains all rele-


20 DECEMBER 2009 • PARKING TODAY • www.parkingtoday.com


vant information about services requested, arrival and departure times, payment and tip. Customers’ information is also trans- ferred from the reservation page to the operating system.When the customer arrives other information about the car’s make, model andVIN, as well as any digitally scanned images of pre- vious damage to the vehicle, is encoded on the ticket. That information becomes part of the customer’s service profile for that transaction and is managed by the system until the transac- tion is complete. For customers, theValet Boarding Pass is information and


expedience. They leave their car with the valet and continue to their destination armed with a single piece of paper that, when scanned by valet staff, contains all the information needed for their transaction. It’s nice to imagine a world where travel takes place as


instantaneously as communication, but until the teleporter becomes a reality, human beings will require bikes, cars, planes, trains and buses. For the valet operator therewill be bags to carry, doors to slam, keys to secure, payment to collect, and to people to please. Valet operations today run almost the same way they have


since the idea presented itself. Customers arrive with cars and a valet takes their keys and parks the vehicle for them. On the flip side, the customers return and then so does their car. It is all of the details in between that require the speed of fiber optics and the instant transmission of discrete values. Credit cards must be accepted carefully, vehiclesmust be checked for damages to safe- guard the operator’s revenue, and servicemust be streamlined for the sake of satisfaction of the customer and the solvency of the operator. The internet and digital technology are two innovations thatmake these particulars happen successfully.


PT


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