Why do hotels charge separately for parking?
 

I understand that hotels pay for parking property and need to recoup losses, but why not tack charge onto the hotel bill? I realize that would make the initial bill higher than some competitors but in my experience most people generally grimmace and whine quite a bit about that "extra fee.' Wouldn't this bad vibe from the parking fee leave a bad taste in a customer's mouth, and thus reduce his likelihood of returning?

Because not everyone brings a car to the hotel - and why should those who don;t pay for those who do?

Because I don't drive :)

But everybody uses electricity, why is this charge an add-on?

Probably to "camouflage" their low rates, to mislead the customer as they usually do.

Same with the airlines fuel and security fees.

Plus, when they pay commisions to online booking sites, they don't want to pay based on the higher rate with teh parkign or "resort fee" .

The parking is frequently run by a third party and therefore charges are separated out.

I agree that adding on parking fees is becoming outrageous. At first, it was $5 here and there. Now it's quickly climbing past $15/20 a day. I for one do not stay at hotels that charge these prices for parking if I have any suitable alternatives.

I think it's a way for them to keep prices at a certain level on paper, yet still charge for inflation. I know many businesses have a $100/night limit or something similar for business travelers but will still reimburse for the parking fee on top of that. If the hotel added the parking fee to the nightly price it might keep many business travelers from staying there.

I have found a few hotels that waived the parking fee when I asked nicely at check-in.

$15 or 20 is a deal in many cities. I've seen $30 (New Orleans), $45 (Chicago) and now $50 (New York).

Parking in NYC garages is always expensive - and $50 is common in high end hotels. But - few people staying in NYC hotels have cars - most people fly in - so it's not really an issue.

If for some reason I stayed in an NYC hotel and needed parking I would look for cheaper options in the area.

Faina, I have not seen electricity surcharges in a LONG time... and I stay at a different hotel, different city, every week.

Fifteen or so years ago, when we checked out of a motel, I noticed a $2 phone charge on our bill. We hadn't made any calls, so I questioned it. That was for having a phone in the room!

Electricity and phone charges (even if you don't use the phone) are not uncommon in Las Vegas still.

for the same reason there are atm charges,because they can make money.

it's likely the corporation running the hotel has a sq footage average return they are looking for and when you are in a city with limited space... that parking is a drain on resources.

hotels that don't have their own parking but "provide" it, may often use the third party as a "courtesy "so guests don't have to drive around looking for a garage and walk back to the hotel

It seems pretty obvious that the charge is an add on because not everyone arrives with a car, especially at city hotels!

Of the last 3 hotels DH has run, two charge for parking and in both cases, parking is contracted out to a third party, not run by the hotel. In his current hotel, the parking garage is a separate building, across the street from the hotel...not an unusual arrangement for a city hotel. His last hotel, where parking was free, a 4* hotel near the airport, locals often used the hotel parking garage as "free long term parking" during their trips, taking the hotel shuttle to and from the airport! Pretty cool deal, eh....? (What sort of "smiley face" icon is appropriate here? LOL)

I refuse to pay anything but taxes and logical charges... for actual phone charges, mini bar, etc.
I don't go to Vegas often but I can say that my bill at the Venetian only had the room, taxes and actual phone charges.

As others have said, the hotels don't own or run the parking, separate companies own the parking and set the price.

Why would you avoid a hotel because of parking fees? It isn't their fault. Gargages charge what the market will bear.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh..........Hi Go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Welcome Back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I missed ya.......

i understand all that, Gotravel, but what I am asking is why the hotel doesn't combine the parking with its own charge to make one bill. It seems that 90% of people simply grate at the idea of separate "parking fee" that they may or may not have known existed (most web sites burry it in the fine print) and many refuse to stay at a place withparking fees. It sounds silly but most people seem o.k. with paying $200 for a room vs., say, $185 plus $15 dollars parking or $20 "resort fee". I think hotels shoot themselves in the foot and needlessly hurt themselves by billing in this manner.

Obviously to generate extra revenue, but it drives me crazy. Charge extra in Manhattan, downtown Chicago, San Francisco - sure. Land is at a premium. But the Gaylord Texan opened a couple of years ago in my town - Grapevine, Texas...in the middle of nowhere - vacant land as far as the eye can see - and THEY charge for parking!!!

knute - The things people have already mentioned just make sense:

* Not everyone drives to the hotel. I don't want to pay for your parking if I didn't drive.

* Not every hotel runs their own parking lot. So, you pay the parking lot for parking, and the hotel for your hotel room.

You say that &quot;most&quot; people are put off by this, but it seems that you really mean that <b>you</b> are put off by it. Where do you get your data that most are? I would imagine that the hotels have business and marketing experts on their teams that help them figure out the best way to run things to make the most profit.

I fully expect to pay to park my car if I take it into any large city and/or the downtown areas of smaller cities. I have never had a problem with parking charges. They are expected.

Another thing is that many of the hotels rent out their ballrooms/conference rooms. Not everybody that attends those meetings/conferences, stay at the hotel but they do park there when attending. So they have to pay the parking fee. (But this also is something that bugs me because at places I have stayed at these conferences take the parking spaces &amp; it is difficult to find spots for those actually staying at the hotel.

jlm_mi

You're not reading my posts carefully. I stated I fully understand the need for parking costs. You add you don't want to pay for my parking a car. Now if you take an hour hot shower every morning and I don't bathe, should I have to pay for your portion of the water bill? That argument is silly when taken to its logical end. I have been researching hotels via tripadvisor recently and tons of reviewers of many hotels (that is where my &quot;data&quot; comes from) kept mentioning their aggrevation at the separate phantom &quot;parking fee.&quot; Many comment they won't go back to that hotel because of it. No, I have not conducted a scientific study on the matter, but one should not underestimate anecdotal evidence nor should one assume that corporate &quot;marketing experts&quot; don't make foolish decisions.

I would never pay for parking at a hotel, unless it was the only hotel available, and I had to be there. I don't pay for checking, sent back an unasked-for ATM card when I asked if they charged for it (yes, buried in fine print), and will never ever call from a hotel room phone unless it's to the desk--I'm sick of being nickled and dimed to death, from little surcharges you have to have a magnifying glass to read, to BS 9/11 security crap for an airline ticket, to tipping surly incompetant waitstaff (why should they get extra if my dinner and wine costs more than the spouse's beer and sandwich at the same meal?). Now I'm being guilted into reusing my towels and linens at hotels to save energy and water--fine, but I'm saving the hotel energy and water, maybe they should give a little back in the bill?!
thank you very much.

knute...how many of those showers result in (justifiable!) liability claims? LOL It's an expensive operation, no matter how it is run, even in the best of operations!
Talking water for showers (or electricity for those who want it colder, or those who watch more TV) is hardly apples to apples.

Another reason to leave your car outside the city and park n ride or &quot;lot it&quot; legally, if you are on a drive vacation.

I'm with sylvia 3, I don't use hotels that will charge me a parking fee on drive vacations.

They do it because they can. In Chicago, if you come back- have something missing or broken- you aren't going to get any satisfaction or reimbursement anyway. That's a fact. You are up against proving it, and you won't.

Okay I gotta throw my two cents in here. Someone (sarcastically, I presume) mentioned liability for water and showers. I have never heard of someone needing to sue a hotel over parking their car or an accident in the parking lot, but I have heard of numerous slips in the shower and burns because the water was too hot.

I don't think liability even comes into play when we talking about hotels charging extra for parking. It's clearly someone's idea of getting the price they want by hoping most people won't read the fine print or notice the extra $20 a day tacked on to the end of the bill.

knute, all hotels I've paid for parking in do add the charge to the bill.

Beachboi, thank you!

Hotels charge extra for parking for (1) marketing reasons - the room rates are lower, (2) as a profit center or to recoup their costs - in some cities outside companies do the parking, (3) it doesn't make much sense, or could actually create worse problems if they tried to charge customers who don't require parking. It also doesn't reduce the chance of people returning since generally all the same quality hotels in a given area or city charge for parking. While it is certainly become a lot more expensive, it is at least a charge I understand and only have to pay for when I avail myself of the service.

The fee I can't understand is the resort fee. If everyone staying at the resort has to pay it, why isn't it in the hotel rate. Its always seemed to me that it is almost false advertising to quote a hotel rate that doesn't include a mandatory fee being paid to the hotel.

I think some hotels charge guests for parking because during the day their parking facility is available to the public at an hourly rate. And if you have a preferred guest status with the chain, parking may be waived.

Knute - your comparison is really just silly. Almost every one (I hope) takes a shower - and uses towels - and sleeps in the bed - rather than on the flor or in the chair. In big city hotels - at which parkig charges are most common and highest - probably not mmore than 10 or 15% of guests bring cars.

So what you really want - is just for other people to pay for your special services. What that;'s equivalent to is asking everyone in the hotel to pay a room service fee - if they order anything or not - because 10 or 15% of people do.

Coming from a hotel background, we never used parking for marketing reasons (??) and never as a profit center. If someone was charging us $10 a day for a space, we just tried to recoup that fee and not LOSE money on the endeavor. Never heard of hotels making money off this.

Even where NYC Midtown hotels have $40 rates, they are probably not making money off this. Margins are too low.

Boy, I tell you... shortly after 9/11 the occupancy levels plummeted in Dallas. It did not take long for the Anatole, a large convention hotel, to slap up make shift toll booths on their extensive lots. It was ALL about revenue... or maybe simple survival.

nytraveller:

I never use the bellman. Souldn't my rate be reduced $5? I never use the hotel soap or shampoo. That should knock off $2. I never watch t.v. either. How about 75 cents? I never get ice, so no need for the machine or bucket for me. That's another $1. I promise that my family of 4 won't eat the continental breakfast. Hmmm, that's a big one. Knock off $25 for the 3 days. In fact, I only come back to the hotel to sleep, so wear and tear on carpets is nil. Another $1. You see how silly it gets when one attempts to separate costs like this. To summarize my view: Everyone pays for the parking lot just like everybody pays for the shampoo, whether we use it or not. IMO hotels would be better off marketing-wise by building the parking fee into the bill and then boasting FREE PARKING!

I own a business so the idea of trying to make a profit is not foreign to me but I have to tell you, I talked to my girlfriend after she and her husband stayed a week at the Grand Wialea on Maui and they were charged, on top of the room, 8.50 opon arrival for baggage handling, a 3.50 per day room cleaning fee, and the daily resort fee. I do believe that the self park was still free but not sure. I'm sorry, but I think that some of this stuff is just getting totally out of hand. Then I read about renting chairs by the pool, paying for towels and on and on. I'm personally rethinking about staying in hotels when I can get an apartment or a condo. Some of this stuff is just outrageous.

crefloors: We just returned from Maui/Oahu. Stayed at 2 condo's (free parking) and a resort, HHV ($18.00 parking).

While HHV was wonderful, so were the condo's! I will strongly consider condo's in the future! Belle.

knute -

I'm afraid you're still missing the point. Most people aren;t bringing cars so saying &quot;free parking&quot; is useless. 90% of the guests aren;t interested - because they don;t have cars with them.

It's would be like offering &quot;free&quot; hula dancing lessons and upping the price $10. Nobody wants them - so who would pay extra for a hotel that has them &quot;free&quot;.

And given a choice of a hotel with free parking and one $30/$40 less with pay parking I would take the latter every time - as would about 90% of other people. We don;t bring cars to the hotel. We don;t care about the parking charge.

The other things you mention are all standard items that every guest could use - they may choose not to - but they could use them - and most guests do you at lest some of them. If you don;t have a car - you have no use for the parking space.

Why can;t you understand that?

I agree with Travelermebe and Crefloors. I understand the separate charge for parking - it only applies to those who use it, but I don't understand separately charging for things like resort fees that are charged to everyone and should simply be part of the room rate. Its really a way resorts hide the real cost of staying at a place. They should have to include all mandatory fees in their room rates.

I just want to hear more about &quot;crefloors&quot; married girlfriend. Love Triangle, anyone?

Tara - girlfriend is used a lot when referring to a woman friend. I say it all the time. Not a love triangle!! I assume you were being funny when you posted your comment.

NYTraveler, you make a very good point. IF, and only IF, you're travelling to a city where most visitors don't have or rent cars. But when we're talking podunk USA where everyone has a car and they charge $20 a night, it's ridiculous.

Even Vegas, where the majority of people do not have a car, does not charge for parking. They don't need to. They recoup their money in numerous other ways. That's all we're saying. Quit charging us for something that they use to give us for free. If you need to raise the price, raise the price. Don't be sneaky about it.