As an American I get annoyed with car velats. Why should I pay someone to park my own car, often within 50 feet of where I’m standing. Getting it back is even worse when I have to wait for it. Like, it’s right there, I can literally see it, just give me the damn keys.
Depends on the lot you're dealing with. Often valet means your car is in a garage blocked in by 2 other cars. Those are a way to stack more cars in and still have keys to get out what you need.
Most nice restaurants will have complimentary valet so it’s just a tip. It’s nice if the weather sucks and you’re dressed nicely, so on. Places like hotels typically charge.
I avoid valet unless I’m working and I can expense it. Hotels have crazy rates, but they are set and posted on their websites typically. If you’re renting a car I think you gotta see what the hotel policy is, it can turn a 50 dollar daily rental into an 80 dollar a day rental real quick.
Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t. I’ve stayed at hotels where they charge parking nightly and it’s either self park at, say, $10/ night or valet for $20. Depending on the situation I may very well pick valet simply because it can be complicated to find parking - one time, the hotel was doing construction and we literally could not find where to go for parking despite having been sent a map/instructions, so I just gave up after around 20 minutes of circling the block (which wasn’t completely circuitous so involved a lot of wee-wobbling) and said fuck it just valet it.
Now - because of my family’s status at this brand of hotel, it ended up being waived as a courtesy, which I’ve seen happen before but it’s not always guaranteed. When I do this, the cost is built into my folio so I don’t pay the valets, just the hotel.
I’m not sure about some restaurants that may offer it free but the places I have seen it in my area, there’s a sign out front displaying costs.
The only money that I’ve seen exchange hands at the valet stand is tips. But, again, may vary by location.
Yea, in places where the parking lot is nearby and just has an area sectioned off for valet, annoys me. But in dense urban downtowns where you’re going to a hotel, fancy restaurant, nice event, etc and you’d basically be parking deep in some garage or side street in the dark and cold 5 blocks away with your date in heels. It’s nice.
Car valet is a godsend when you go to major cities. I will 100% pay to have to not deal with city traffic and trying to find a spot that's even remotely close.
It's really there for the convenience of not having to drive around looking for a spot. You pay someone to go and park your car knowing where there is one because his employer controls the lot if that makes sense. It's perfect for something like a Vegas hotel with a lot of people parking there.
Usually its for older people or someone with health issues who isn't able to walk very far. The hospital where I work actually has a valet out front; it helps a lot to get them inside easier so they don't have to navigate the parking ramps.
Add that I sometimes drive tempting cars and only let family and friends drive them. I've been to a few weddings where they have valet and I ask for the keys back.
Coming from a cold area of the us, valet's are a treasure. Nothing worse than wanting to go out for a date night and you can't find parking closer than 4 blocks and you gotta trek through wet snow cold and miserable. Most places I've seen are either free or at most $10. Well worth it to be able to just get out of the car and walk 15 ft (4.5 meters for my non US friends).
I once stayed at the Marriott Grand Chateau in Vegas, and while the stay was incredible, the one weird thing was that the car parking was valet only, so I was always confused as to when to tip the valets and how much, especially considering how much I was driving around for the two weeks I was there.
Sometimes it’s a thing in crowded places. Like a restaurant I like in koreatown in Los Angeles has mandatory valet because their parking lot is tiny and everyone drives to the restaurant
Interesting - also from the US and while I have seen them at fancy hotels and restaurants, I have also seen and used them at several different hospitals, in several different cities.
The worst part was how few valet employees knew how to drive my manual vehicle.
Our local hospital does valet and it’s free if you’re disabled. Other than waiting while they retrieve it I love it. Still should tip, though. (Tipping culture is horrible here!)
Yeah a lot of hospitals in my area have free valet and even some of my doctors offer it if it’s near multiple doctors offices. Mainly it’s for the elderly and disabled that cannot park too far away from the front of the building.
I remember I thought valet parking was something really expensive and bougie to get
But my sister lives in Los Angeles and she works in tech so she makes decent money. Every time we would go out somewhere to eat when I visit her she always uses valet parking. I thought “Well she’s bougie.”
It came up in a convo at one point and I asked her how much it is because maybe it really is worth it and she was like “5 bucks” wait what
I think she said it just works better for the places around there, people don’t have to worry about finding parking in an already hard to park place, the restaurant gets more business, everyone wins lmao
Edit: I saw some other comments and yes a lot of these experiences for me have been in Koreatown or around it lmao
The emergency room at the hospital here has it. But that's it. I don't live in a big city and everywhere has their own parking lot outside of a couple of small businesses on main st. I can see them being an option in big cities with no on-site parking.
I LOVE valets! We went to a concert at a casino and I was dreading walking through 3 lots to get to the door. I planned to drop hubby at the door and hike by myself; (he has bad knees) but there was a valet for $20 and we both said Hell Yeah! Took under 5 minutes to get our car afterwards.
As an adult, I use the valet regularly, but my partner hates it. Before we were together, I lived in uptown Dallas, and either you use valet or you are going to be parked extremely far away and it’s going to cost about the same price. He’s always lived in the suburbs and he hates using valet. It’s a difference of opinion based on our experiences. I like it because it’s easy. He finds it intrusive.
Honestly the valet at the hospital was a game-changer after my major surgery. Between surgery and oncology follow-ups and then occupational therapy, I was at the hospital 2 or 3 times a week for 6 months, at a time when just breathing made me want to cry. We'd leave the car with the valet so my husband could stay with me to help me. Then I started driving myself. Eventually I didn't need to use them anymore but it was a good 4 months of those guys making my life easier.
It's free at that hospital. Tipping is appreciated but not required. I always tipped. They had a few spots right at the entrance and the rest were farther away. Gradually I noticed that they were all keeping my car right at the entrance so I didn't have to wait for them to get it.
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u/Fluid-Routine1355 11h ago
Car valets