In today’s economic climate their one thing that we can be sure of and that is the higher cost of parking your car. This is most evident in the cost of parking a car in a hotel car park.
"They're trying to limit their overall decline in revenue," says hotel consultant Bjorn Hanson of PricewaterhouseCoopers. "Raising parking rates is one way to do it."
Hanson says hotels have discovered that "resistance to higher parking fees is limited." While people always ask the room rate when booking, "and now they know to ask if there's an energy surcharge, they generally don't ask whether there's a parking charge."
On average, parking rates at city hotels have shot up 25% to 30% over the past two years, Hanson says. At some big-city hotels, he says, parking costs now amount to around 20% of the final bill, up from 10% to 15% a decade ago.
Where travellers can expect to pay more:
New York City.
A growing number of Midtown hotels this year are breaking the $40-per-day threshold. The Rihga Royal hiked rates in April by $5, to $42. The Hilton New York is up $2, to $40. "Some people remember paying $40 for a room," Hanson says. "Now you're paying $40 just for your car."
Orlando.
After years of offering valet parking for free, Disney on Monday began charging $6 per day for the service at eight Disney World resorts, including the Wilderness Lodge, Grand Floridian and Polynesian. "It's become an industry standard," says spokeswoman Rena Callahan.
Chicago.
Several hotels along Michigan Avenue have surpassed $30-a-day for parking over the past two years, including the Westin (now $32, up from $29). The Hilton Chicago charges $23, up more than 25% since 1999. The Renaissance Chicago charges $22, up 10% from last year.
K.C. Kavanagh, a vice president at Starwood Hotels, which runs Westin and Sheraton, is reported to have said, “the rate increases at hotels are in line with those being put through by public garages”.
Indeed, parking rates everywhere in big cities are rising. A survey conducted last month by Colliers International, a commercial real estate firm, found that the average monthly parking rate across North America this year is $157, up 14% from last year and 33% higher than in 1996. The average in New York City is $520, up about 20% from last year.
Hotels, meanwhile, aren't the only places travellers are paying more for parking this year:
Airports.
Fliers will pay up to 25% more next month at Denver International, where the daily rate in covered lots is set to go from $12 to $15. Officials at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport are weighing a 33% hike in daily rates for parking close to terminals.
Amusement parks.
Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, N.J., increased rates 25% this year to $10 — the first time an amusement park has charged a double-digit rate. Amusement Business reports that, on average, parking rates at parks are up 7% this year.
