I have done a total immersion in Valet Parking this past two days. I spend Thursday at a complex site in LA where an extremely high tech valet control system was in place. With this sucker you just stick in your ticket as you leave the elevator and your car is retrieved while you are paying your fee. You can pay to a cashier, at a POF, or with credit card on exit. Truly impressive.
Today I saw a more conventional system that would fit smaller applications. In this case, the operator could simply take the equipment with him if they lost the location. Not a bad deal since these devices aren’t cheap.
I also heard about a biometric time card system where the person had to put their hand on the scanner when they clocked in and out. Absolutely stopped one person clocking in for another. Why didn’t I think of that.
Then I had lunch with Tony Policella, the CEO of Valet Parking Service in LA. They are the oldest valet company in the country with 60 years under their belt. They still have their first customer.
Tony says that success in Valet is that it is a personal business. He told of getting a call from a customer on Christmas Eve: "Why aren’t your valets wishing everyone Merry Christmas." They were minutes later.
Read all about these and other great tidbits in Parking Today, coming in March.
J
