Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, August 7, 1993 TAG: 9308070033
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES LENGTH: Medium
Spurred by crime and clogged parking lots, run-of-the-mill establishments that once left driving customers to their own devices have begun offering the same service enjoyed by Rodeo Drive shoppers and patrons of tony restaurants.
Red-jacketed attendants can be seen scurrying all over town these days - at airports, restaurants, music stores, health clubs and even movie theaters.
In many cities, including those in Virginia, some shopping malls have experimented with valet parking to allay customers' fears about dark parking ramps and lots.
"It used to be a service of convenience, it used to be a luxury, but now businesses need to do what they can to get people in there," said Ben Akbary, vice president of Valet Parking Services Inc., Los Angeles' oldest and largest parking company.
One client, the Burbank Airport, declared its two-year experiment with valet parking a success and sank $300,000 into a new cashier complex.
The airport introduced the service after Southwest Airlines cut its fares and parking spaces "disappeared overnight," said airport spokesman Vincent Gill. The number of drivers using the service jumped from 100 to as many as 500 a day, he said.
"I think it's terrific," Diana Wilks, a Los Angeles resident, said of the airport service. "I have a business in Northern California and commute a lot and it's great to drop off the car and have it brought to you when you get back."
Valet Parking Services plans to expand to other U.S. cities. The company is negotiating to park cars at Seattle-Tacoma Airport, and has opened offices in Las Vegas, Dallas, Chicago and elsewhere.
With an upswing in crime, Akbary said, the proliferation of professional parkers is no passing fad.
"This is a thing of the future," he said. "More and more we're seeing car-jackings, we're seeing people hiring security, we're seeing people being attacked in parking lots."
"It's not like walking into a dark empty garage. The valet adds that touch of security."
Concerns over auto-related crimes may be exaggerated, however.
The number of car-jackings and auto thefts has held relatively steady in the city over the past three years, according to the Los Angeles Police Department, partly due to use of elaborate car alarm systems.
And valets and gated parking aren't enough to stop determined thieves. Many cars have been stolen from manned lots, said LAPD Officer Rigo Romero
Valets themselves can sometimes cause headaches.
"We've had bad experiences in the past where people get their car scratched or something," said Travis Maciel, manager of City Restaurant in Hollywood. Valets also have been caught drinking on the lot, sleeping in cars and stealing cellular phones, he said.
by CNB