The oft forgotten hotel employee
Valet operations frame the guest journey at two of its most time-sensitive moment; arrival and departure. Even before being welcomed by the hotel doorman, the valet is the first person certain guests encounter. Hence, they outline the initial opinion as to how professionally well the overall hotel is run.
Imagine driving up the hotel, when your tolerance level is low, after the hassle of having had a long drive in traffic, and ready to switch into a stress free environment, with expectations of a smooth handover of the car for parking. Any delay in this context upsets what should feel like a seamless and welcoming transition.
Understanding valet reliability therefore requires viewing it, not as a staffing or service issue, but as a throughput and infrastructure challenge rooted within the property’s broader operational design. Despite this, chronic valet performance is often perceived by hotel operators as something that can be managed by adding more staff. What usually occurs during anticipated peak times is to adjust staffing. More valets it is assumed would reduce delays. It’s far from been that simple.
The performance of a valet depends on a journey of stages, where each one, collectively determines how swiftly each vehicle can be moved from where it is parked to handing it over to the guest standing at the hotel entrance. When I want my car, it sets off a chain of actions: the ticket issued to me is collected, a valet goes off to retrieve it, locates the vehicle, drives it through the hotel’s passage routes and positions the car for me to take it over and drive away. This cycle is repeated by the valet for each request. Hence, the sum of the total time required is determined by the combined actions, as described above - than by the single task within the cycle. And all of that cannot be merely fixed by adding more valets. Here’s why?
What ultimately matters in valet operations is the speed and flow of vehicle movement.
I know of this 5-star hotel in the heart of the city, where the parking of cars is located several levels below the hotel entrance and at a distance. This can be a huge deterrent when demand rises, because every additional minute per retrieval lessens the number of cars that can be processed within a given period.
This same hotel also has a porte-cochère that only allows traffic to pass through or pull up alongside. I’ve also noticed during my numerous visits to the hotel, cars such as Mercedes, BMW or luxury cars like a Porsche or a Ferrari parked in front of the lobby of this hotel. I drive a Honda and there is no way they will allow me to park at the front of the hotel in a million years.
I understand that allowing luxury vehicles to park beside the hotel entrance creates that “halo Effect” and signals a strong sense of arrival, subtly telling guests that they are in an exclusive environment, whilst reinforcing the hotel’s 5-star positioning. However, during peak periods, these marketing tactics restrict the ‘flow’ of traffic, and add to the congestion that builds up - regardless of the valet team size. In fact, more valets not only increase activity but also heap on congestion within the same limited maneuvering space.
I observe this situation in most of the new-built 4 – 5 star hotels that have sprung up lately in Colombo. These hotels have modeled how visitors enter the lobby, queue, check in, and navigate through public spaces to access elevators to get to their rooms or dining venues - even during peak periods. Likewise, staffing patterns, physical layouts, and service sequencing are all regulated to maintain a steady seamless flow. By contrast, vehicle handing, often planned independently (and poorly), is an after-thought.
A smooth parking experience, where visitors can access a hotel without congestion or delays, improves the overall experience of dealing with a hotel. These tie into the impression that the hotel makes on a guest and sets the tone for the rest of the visit.
Shafeek Wahab - Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Trainer, Motivational Speaker, Mystery Guest Auditor, Ex-Hotelier
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