Valet parking goes hi-tech: Paper tickets gone

The next time you give your car for valet parking, do not be surprised if you are issued a machine readable card, instead of the usual paper ticket.

A new system being tested across select hotels in the country use technology to replace the age-old paper system.

The system includes a plastic card with an RFID tag that can be scanned using a handheld. It links to a system present at multiple parking garages and immediately notifies the staff at the other end about it.

Among the hotels that are part of the pilot project is Atlantis. A staff at the valet parking told ‘Emirates24|7’ that the hotel management is currently testing the system on a trial basis. “Currently we are using it in the conference and banquet section. Once this trial is over, it will be moved to the main hotel valet parking section,” said the staff.

According to him, the system is simple and easy to use and also saves time for customers.

“It eliminates the need for us to collect the ticket, walk up to the computer, enter the details or sometimes, call the other end using a walkie-talkie,” he said.

Ashish Kumar, who was at Atlantis on Sunday and used the service said the main advantage for him was be the card itself. “I often end-up misplacing my parking ticket, especially after a day-long conference that involves multiple meetings and more than two dozen instances of exchanging business cards. These plastic cards are safer,” he said.

New technology being introduced also facilitates massive scale-ups including complex delivery management at airports and other similar locations.

At airports for example, the system integrates with the flight arrival database and other passenger details. It even sends an SMS notification to the driver when the car is ready to be picked up.

Users can pay using their credit and debit cards using the same handheld machine.
 

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