Valet Parking?

[Lexusfreak]

Interesting article from Car & Driver....

Valet Parking Tips From Lexus - Daily Auto Insider

The Daily Auto Insider

Friday, August 11, 2006

August 2006

As greater convenience becomes a factor in our increasingly active lives, valet parking is now on hand at health clubs, hair salons, sporting events, doctors' offices, even grocery stores and cinemas. For many, it's fast becoming a way of life, according to a Lexus press release.

So what happens once a car disappears into "Valet Land?" What are the insider secrets valets don't share with anyone? And what should savvy drivers know before turning over their keys to them?

To answer these questions and more, Lexus has compiled the Insider's Guide to Valet Parking — an "entertaining and informative" behind-the-scenes look at the world of valet parking. The 38-page guide, which is available for free download at www.LexusValetGuide.com, also includes results from a nationwide valet parking survey commissioned by the automaker.

The Inside Scoop

According to the National Parking Association, an estimated 200,000 men and women currently work as parking attendants in the United States.

"Valet parking is a common ritual, but there's not much information about it," said Bob Carter, Lexus group vice president and general manager. "The guide has actually turned into a bit of an homage to parking attendants everywhere and uncovered both humorous and useful information for drivers."

Which car features excite valets the most? What's considered a good tip? Who gets the coveted upfront spot and why? It's all in the guide.

To examine regional differences on the valet scene, Lexus also dispatched journalist David Hochman to report on parking habits and traditions in four cities: Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and New York. Hochman even spent a day "under cover" as a parking attendant at an upscale shopping center in Los Angeles, where he learned valet lingo (such as "Jewel Case," the premier parking spot) and the valet's mantra: "Smile, open door, greet, give ticket, rinse, repeat."

The guide also offers valuable advice from Herb Citrin, 83, a legend among parking attendants for having introduced the uniforms, the white-glove service and the name "valet parking" in the 1940s, and who has safely parked thousands upon thousands of vehicles.

Citrin is happy to report that 99.99 times out of a 100, valet attendants abide by the same basic principle he introduced at the first of what would become tens of thousands of valet-parking locations across America. "You give us your car," Citrin says with a proud smile any car owner would find reassuring, "We get it back to you safely." Although he does admit it's the one that got away that still haunts him.

It was the summer of 1965, and Citrin got a frantic call from a garage manager at a Polynesian restaurant in Marina del Rey, Calif. "One of our valets forgot to set the brake on a vintage 1937 luxury coupe in what kids used to call 'cherry condition,' " recalls Citrin, now a consultant for Valet Parking Services in Los Angeles, a company he founded in 1946. "It rolled down an incline and ended up in 15 feet of seawater."

Fortunately, mishaps like that occur once in a lifetime, if that. As John Van Horn, editor and publisher of Parking Today, an industry trade magazine, puts it, "Most valets are exceptional drivers because all they do is drive cars all day."

The Survey — What Americans Nationwide Have to Say

On average, 61 percent of Americans use valet parking, according to a wide-ranging survey on parking habits and concerns conducted exclusively for the Lexus guide by Kelton Research.

The survey also found that Americans tip valets an average of $3 per vehicle, and 73 percent are confident that when they tip, they are tipping the right person the right amount. For most of us, manners matter most as the vast majority of Americans (87 percent) feel that the friendliness and politeness of the valet is the biggest factor in determining how large a tip one should leave.

Nationally, Northeasterners rely on valets the most (only 27 percent of them say they never use a valet). And, surprisingly, speed isn't much of a factor in customer satisfaction, the survey found. Americans are willing to wait up to an average of nine minutes for the valet to return their cars before becoming impatient, though younger drivers (ages 18 to 34) will wait only five minutes before getting antsy.

Then there's "car shame," that nagging feeling that the valet is judging one's vehicle. Interestingly, women are twice as prone to suffer from car shame as men.

What's the biggest fear about valets? That they take the nicest cars out for joyrides (64 percent think it's at least a possibility). One in two surveyed also worries the car will be returned damaged.

Martin Stein, president of the American Parking Association, encourages drivers to take notice of any attendant before handing over the keys. "Look for corporate uniforms and professional-looking valet signage, while checking to see if keys are securely managed and noting if there are sufficient attendants," he says. "You expect a level of comfort knowing you'll be taken care of, and you want your car back exactly the way you left it."

SOURCE: Lexus

[Rx330driver]

lol ill have to take a look at that

EDIT: well...its one big marketing scheme for the new ES. Still a fun read though

[indiasfinest]

yah i dont really trust valet at all...but you have to when you go to places like vegas..i just hate it when people drive my cars...its annoying and when they turn into the parking lot, for all i could no they could be doing donuts (highly unlikely) but still..i just hate the thought of someone else driving my car..

[LexKid630]

I always check the mileage before i leave my car with them. I use valet pretty often, and never once had a problem.

The only time i've left my car with someone else & had a problem was when i left my old rx300 at the lexus dealer to have the moonroof fixed. Got it back with quite a few miles on it! It was filthy as well.

Whenever i velet, the seat's always where i leave it, and it's just as clean as when i gave it to them. IMO valets take better care of cars than Lexus does...

[denslexusgx470]

Unless it's necessary, or if I have a loaner or rental, yes I would use valet. Otherwise, you could end up with lots of door dings when it gets back to you. Plus, i don't like it when people don't put the handbrake on. I don't like the gears locking up. ;)

[SW03ES]

I prefer not to valet, but sometimes around here you have to. What I always do? I tip the person $5 BEFORE he parks the car and ask him for a good space. Makes me feel better anyways LOL.

[nc211]

I prefer not to valet, but sometimes around here you have to.

Damn straight about that! I was up there last week to look at two properties, one about 2 miles from the White House, the other in Chevy Chase, MD. When we would go out to dinner, you couldn't find a parking space to save your life! It was as if the whole entire town was one big Valet scam. Probably unionized.

[Rx330driver]

over here, there are only three places your going to find valets:

Restaurants, hotels, and some garages park for you. Usually you dont have to do any of those, unless your eating at the hotel. I mind people driving my car, but i always forget to mark down mileage and stuff.

[LEXIRX330]

I prefer not to valet, but sometimes around here you have to. What I always do? I tip the person $5 BEFORE he parks the car and ask him for a good space. Makes me feel better anyways LOL.

It is rare to have valet at any place around me...but when the wife and I went to VA Beach...awhile back we went out to a couple of restaraunts that had valet and I did the same thing gave the valet the tip BEFORE... :D

[Rx330driver]

what if its a different person picking up your car...he will think that your cheap and we cant have that now can we?

[indiasfinest]

thats a good point...if my car is not in good condition..no tip for you..so witht that logic he should treat my car right w/ good expectations for a tip

[SW03ES]

It is rare to have valet at any place around me...but when the wife and I went to VA Beach...awhile back we went out to a couple of restaraunts that had valet and I did the same thing gave the valet the tip BEFORE... :D

Thats true, out where you are there aren't any valets. Come to think of it, I can't think of anywhere in Ocean City other than some of the hotels where there are valets either...

what if its a different person picking up your car...he will think that your cheap and we cant have that now can we?

I tip when they bring it around too just to be safe lol

thats a good point...if my car is not in good condition..no tip for you..so witht that logic he should treat my car right w/ good expectations for a tip

Yeah but he's betting on the fact that you won't care. Damage is done by carelessness, lets face it no Lexus except maybe an IS350 or a GS430 is interesting enough to someone that parks Bentleys and AMG Benzes for them to joyride in it, and even the IS and GS are pretty vanilla. When you tip before and let the valet know you want him to be extra careful, he will be.

[denslexusgx470]

Luckily i live in an area that requires a vehicle to get from one place to another and that has PLENTY of parking spaces. :D So I'm never used to valet. :whistles:

[VBdenny]

The last time I used a valet was when I took my wife over to Manhatten for a business appointment. The charge $7.50 an hour and wedge your car into the garage. Luckily the guy put mine in a good spot on the end.