The total number of registered motor vehicles in Australia has hit 20 million motor vehicles in January 2021 according to the latest report by IBISWorld. Considering the average person might park their car a few times a day, that’s a lot of millions of car movements… and a fair bit of parking angst!
What we know from years of running valet parking across a number of industries is it is a valuable service that can remove the angst.
It’s often noted as the number one angst when people visit shopping centres, airports or even their work. That’s why we started First Class Valet, to simply make parking easier. In Australia, the adoption of valet parking has been common place in hotels and car dealerships, but it’s important to look beyond our own country to see what trends are taking place. We’ve had a look at the top valet parking trends worldwide:
Seamless and cashless
It was well before covid that customers started to enjoy less number of transactions and easier interfaces. Take Uber for example, simply taking away the payment transaction and customers raved about how easier it was. Now with valet the number of steps has been reduced and no physical touch points exist except for the car delivery. First Class Valet’s technology is the only technology in Australia which is completely seamless and paperless. No calling phone numbers or paper tickets. For businesses the data available on car turnaround and income is phenomenal. Booking online is also an important attribute for customers, and many services offer a loyalty discount or discount for digital transactions.
Airport Parking
As airports re-open and reach pre-covid levels, the valet parking service not only increases revenue for the airport it allows customers to save time and provides value-add to the experience – in a situation when they are willing to pay. Many airports make more revenue from parking than any other income stream and airports can charge a premium for the service. Airports around the world are provide parking service options to gain revenue, especially in the USA.
Valet Parking at home
With space becoming the rarest and most expensive commodity in major cities around the world, valet parking can be an obvious solution in land locked residential buildings.
Teamed with technology and apps, residents can access their vehicles swiftly and seamlessly. Imagine only having to walk 10 metres to your awaiting car every morning, that’s the best way to start the day.
In Canberra a new Meriton luxury Hotel/Residential development will provide valet parking for both hotel guests and residents. The Meriton Suites Apartment business model provides a larger accommodation style that is a hybrid between a hotel and a serviced apartment but with communal facilities for both guests and residents. Examples of added services or amenities attract professional clientele who value such services as valet parking – and the luxury!
Valet Parking as premium value add
Whilst the means of payment are changing, pricing is taking on a different significance. No longer is the cheapest option always the winner. Parking isn’t just a commodity, because if the experience is vastly superior, people are willing to pay more in return. A service that has significant valued-add like valet parking means a lot to customers. Teamed with easy to use technology it’s an offer that makes customers feel special.
If you company is interested in our First Class Valet operations, technology, labour hire or full-service valet parking, give us a call today or visit our website here
