If you use cars in your daily life, it means that you will also need parking. Or when you go to a mall or a restaurant, you think about getting valet parking services. This valet parking makes your hassle much easier. But before you decide to park your car, there are some important things you need to know about valet parking.
What Is Valet Parking?
When guests stop by a restaurant, they hand over their car keys to the attendant who stands to greet them to park their car. He takes their keys and parks the car. Then as guests begin to leave, an employee retrieves their car for them and sends them on their way. Many places offer valet services for free, but many require guests to pay a small fee in advance. Costing is ultimately decided based on management preferences.
Advantages of Valet Services
Hotels and restaurants around the world offer valet services to their guests. These services are often provided as a free amenity to guests or, in some places, paid for by guests. You can also avail of valet services at hospitals, medical clinics, office buildings, and high-end shopping malls. Whether offered as a free or paid service, valet services help fine dining and entertainment establishments differentiate themselves from their competition. Guests often appreciate these services, as it makes trips easier for you when parking in unfamiliar places.
Disadvantages of Valet Services
In most cases, those who are offering valet services to their guests do so without accepting responsibility for loss or damage to property. Although this business can protect your vehicle from certain things, sometimes this service allows the guest’s vehicle to be damaged, contents stolen from the vehicle, or the vehicle stolen. If observed, a series of serious liabilities can open up under the maintenance of these services. Parking and valet insurance is important for businesses here to have business protection.
Common Risks Associated with Valet Parking
When you hire valet drivers, you assume responsibility for your customers’ cars. Keep a few things in mind when going through the hiring process:
Valet services are perfect for business owners; valet service providers get the best care for their guests and a high level of luxury. Unfortunately, this service often comes with unexpected and common risks. Whether a business has its server staff, some common risks associated with server services include:
- Inadequate or missing background checks on valet employees, resulting in employees with criminal histories handling the guest’s property.
- Poor training of wallet staff or third-party wallet workers can be a reason.
- Damage to vehicles or materials during valet maintenance damages the reputation of the hotel or restaurant serving guests.
- Vague contract language binds guests’ property to the temporary transfer to valet service care, resulting in legal claims for damage or loss of property.
- They are stealing wallet tickets and allowing car theft from security garages. The ticket is the vehicle counterpart to wallet services, allowing anyone to claim vehicle ownership using a ticket.
- The theft of personal items from a guest’s vehicle, such as licenses, vehicle titles, and vehicle batteries, can be used to commit theft.
- Criminals use the vehicle as a conduit to commit other crimes, such as garage door openers, gate codes, and guest house burglaries.
- All of the above risks are relatively rare, yet one of these instances can result in significant liability for business owners.
If You Hire your Employees
You should check the application thoroughly if you want to hire someone you can trust to drive your clients’ vehicles. Since valet parking is fast-paced, you should hire only conscientious, reliable people.
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Hiring Practices are the Best Defense Against Risk
It would be best to be thorough when interviewing candidates since you need to find someone you can trust to drive your clients’ cars. Because valet parking is high-speed, time-sensitive work, you should only employ careful, reliable individuals.
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Check the history and records of the applicant. It is the best way to see how much risk they represent.
Do they have a bad driving record or a suspended ticket or license?
Do they have a criminal background check? It wouldn’t be good if the customer’s luggage mysteriously started to grow legs and walk away.
Have they taken a drug test?
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Have a Trial or Training Period
Have an experienced valet employee ride with your recruit during this time. Your experienced server can show them the ropes and ensure they have good driving habits.
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Ask the Applicant If They Feel Comfortable Operating Both Manual and Automatic Vehicles
Make sure your valets are competent in operating both stick-shift and automatic vehicles. If anyone can operate a manual transmission, it would make things a little tricky in your drop-off line. Background checks on valet staff members may be insufficient or absent, allowing staff members with potential criminal records to handle the guest’s property.
You have Inadequate screening of third-party providers, who may or may not check their employees’ criminal histories.
Is there inadequate training of valet employees or contractors?
The reputation of the hotel or restaurant that hosts visitors is tarnished when incidents of vehicles or other property being destroyed or lost occur during valet maintenance.
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Make Sure You Get the Right Insurance Coverage
If you are in charge of your valets, you need to take extra care to ensure that you are protected from all the risks of valeting your customers’ cars. Make sure that the people who come to your restaurant trust you and want their car back in the same condition they gave it to you. Many companies like LAX Curbside Express give you extra care to protect you from all the risks.
How Much Does a valet Company Charge?
Peak seasons cost more as well. On average, the valet service will charge anywhere from $15 to $40 per hour per attendant. Valet parking companies generally require one valet attendant per 30 to 50 guests.
Conclusion
Valet parking is a great convenience for customers, but it also brings several significant risks to you. Before you valet your car, ensure you fully understand these risks and responsibilities and whether hiring these employees is best for your business.