I spent the weekend attending a wedding in Cleveland. The downtown hotel was okay, I guess, but I had some reservations about the parking arrangements.
Lots of construction in the area means that on-the-street parking simply isn’t available, and there is no lot or garage attached to the hotel. Arriving in a car owned by two friends, we were told that the only option was valet parking at $22/day (seemed about what you’d expect in Philadelphia, and thus a bit steep for Cleveland). Believeing this was the only viable option, my friends signed up.
Valet parking sounds like a deluxe arrangement (and at that price it should be) - but some strings are attached. 15 minutes notice is required if you wish to use your car, and we learned that at busy times this is insufficient - 25 minutes is more like what’s needed. A tip is expected each time the car is produced (apparently, $22/day/vehicle is not sufficient to pay the parkers a fair wage).
Saturday morning explorations disclosed that a parking garage within about 90 seconds walk offered parking at $6.50 per day, with a half-price deal for weekends. The only drawbacks here were that no 15 to 25 minute notice was needed, and there was no provision for tipping. My friends selected this option for the second night.
Checking out of the hotel we found that both they and I had been charged for two days of valet parking at $22 per. I pointed out that I had not brought a car. A short 5-minute wait produced a revised invoice on which I was charged for just one day’s valet parking; another several minutes yielded an accurate invoice. My friends encountered a similar delay.
If any value is placed on repeat business, I have to feel that this approach of “Let’s see how much we can con our customers” is not a sound one. Call me old-fashioned, but I like the idea that (in return for a non-trivial daily fee) your hotel is on your side, seeking to help you get the most from your stay.