Challenge

Located across the street from the Washington Passport Agency – which contributes 90% of the garage’s income – this valet-only facility experiences a high volume and rapid turnover of transient parkers each day. Facing growing lines – often around the block – and limited space within the garage, Colonial Parking’s^® Senior Operations Manager expertly devised a new parking strategy to optimize traffic flow, reduce wait times, and significantly maximize revenue.

Approach

The new process employs an assembly line approach to valet parking and stacking. The entrance ramp’s staging area was nearly doubled to reduce street congestion and enable our team to more efficiently issue tickets. As drivers drop off their keys, our valet attendants shuttle the cars further down into the facility. Each attendant is responsible for a specific section of the ramp to keep traffic flowing as quickly as possible. Another attendant is responsible for strategically parking and stacking cars, working up the ramp as spaces fill. As volumes change throughout the day, the team follows a similar approach to re-stack the cars and return them to their owners as quickly as possible.

Results

In the year immediately following implementation, the garage experienced a tremendous revenue increase. The continuous traffic flow means that space is always available, wait times are eliminated, and street congestion is a thing of the past.