How to Know You Have Hired a Great Valet Company

Not all valet services are created equal. Yes, they can park cars, but there’s more to premium valet services than just that. A valet driver is the first person your customer sees upon arriving at your business. Whether you manage a restaurant, hotel, upscale boutique or medical facility, your customer’s first impression will be greatly influenced by the quality and professionalism of your staff—and that includes your valet company.

In this article, we’ll answer the question, “How do you know you’ve hired a great valet company?” and explain the benefits of valet services, which includes convenience for your customers and enhanced parking lot security.

What Makes a Valet Company Great?

You know you’ve hired a great valet company when:

• The valets have a neat, clean and professional appearance.
• Valet drivers are friendly, helpful and courteous.
• Hotel valets assist guests with their luggage and can provide information about area restaurants and attractions.
• Hospital valets help those with mobility issues and give directions when needed.
• Vehicles are parked quickly, safely and efficiently, maximizing the number of parking spaces in your lot or parking garage for self-parking customers.
• Customers can retrieve their vehicles by using an easy texting application.
• The number of available valets is coordinated to match your company’s needs, from moment to moment.
• The valet service provides GPS verified time, activity and attendance tracking, as well as point-of-sale revenue collection and comprehensive reports.
• The valet service understands and is able to report on the most important key performance indicators for valet services.
• The company provides a full range of integrated parking services, including valet services, shuttle buses, concierge and parking management, for a complete solution to your traffic and parking challenges.

Other Questions You May Have About Valet Services

Here are a few of the most common questions companies have about valet services.

What benefits does a valet company offer?

Offering valet services gives your establishment a sophisticated appearance. Your guests will feel special when a professional valet driver greets them at the front door. They’ll appreciate not having to look around for parking and they won’t have to walk a distance to and from your place of business. Customer satisfaction is the main reason why businesses hire valet services.

For hospitals and other medical facilities, traffic congestion around entrances and in parking garages can be a major concern. Valet services are very efficient at parking vehicles, which reduces traffic and improves the flow of people and vehicles.

Using a valet service helps a company to organize short-term and long-term parking, freeing up spaces in self-park lots. This greater efficiency can lead to increased parking profits. Another consideration is vehicle and parking lot security. Valets are professional drivers, so they take extra care at moving vehicles, in addition to frequently monitoring lots and garages.   

How much does it cost to hire a valet service?

If you search online, you’ll find a wide range of costs for hiring a valet service. Some websites may say that valet parking costs $130-160, while for others, the average cost for valet services ranges from $250 to $450. The reason this can vary so much is that it depends upon your location, the number of valets you need, services offered (i.e. hospitality service, text-in vehicle retrieval, reports) and other variables. It is very important to choose a company that’s reputable and fully insured. 

How many valets are needed for my business?

It is difficult to determine how many valets you’ll need for your business, since your needs may change from day to day, or even from hour to hour. Using a company like FC Parking is a smart choice, since our valet parking system captures real-time data from our valet team on mobile devices. This information includes program activity and productivity, so that we can gauge your valet parking needs from moment to moment, providing you with just as much service as your business needs—no more, no less.

Contact us today to learn how our valet services can enhance your business and provide exceptional service to your customers.