The Valet Ballet

Do you cringe when you show up at a hotel for a business luncheon or meeting only to discover a mandatory valet parking policy? Have you ever left a function early in the hopes of avoiding the long line to wait for your car? If so, you're not alone.

Valet parking, normally seen as a luxury and a convenience, is sometimes considered a burden for local business folks who worry about wait time. When 20, 50, even 100 people leave an event all at once, you may fear it will take forever for valet workers to get your car.

As it turns out, many area hotels offer a solution.

Ed Staros, vice president and managing director of the Ritz-Carlton Resorts in Naples, says that he has doubled the valet staff to expedite the process for guests. Valet parking is mandatory at the company's beach resort, he says, because when the Ritz had self-parking, it would get overflow from a nearby public parking lot. That lot, on Vanderbilt Beach Road, is used mostly by beach-goers, who, in season, occupy the nearly 150 spaces and often spilled onto the Ritz lot as well

"I eventually said, 'This is nuts,' and we made the hotel all valet," Staros explains. He admits that some patrons complain, but adds that they are understanding once they hear the reason.

To reduce the wait time, Staros has doubled the valet staff.

LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort in Naples found itself with the same self-parking shortage, according to Sean Mullen, director of sales and marketing. When the resort hosts large events, the valet special-ops squad rolls into action.

"We'll pull staff from all departments and sometimes we overstaff," Mullen says. "Or we'll change where we have our arrival to reduce lines."

The Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa in Bonita Springs has a garage for visitors who want to forgo valet service, unless the space is full. "When we have local functions, it's very difficult," says Sulynn Jew, the resort's executive assistant manager. When there are large crowds, the Hyatt's contracted valet service, USA Parking, adds staff.