If they would have simply labelled it 'parking' on your bill instead of 'valet parking', you wouldn't have much of an argument. But the fact that it was described as valet parking, there's no way you should have to pay it. Hotels should be up front about their hidden charges, and I hate to get my bill the next morning to find surprises. On a weekend trip not too long ago, I got billed $26 a night for parking also. Only problem was that the parking was outdoors, and not secured. Street parking was free on the weekend. I could have parked ten feet away and not payed a damn thing. Thieves.....

 

It's as simple as this; if you don't want to pay for their parking, park somewhere else and walk.

 

It may be that simple if you're the village idiot, but for the rest of us, valet parking is supposed to provide convenience for the guest. That is, the guest leaves his vehicle at the entrance to the establishment, and doesn't have to schlep all his crap from the bowels of some garage. The OP was directed to park where he did, and he didn't receive any valet services.

I'm actually surprised that the objections had to go as far as they did ... should have been resolved quickly and quietly at the first level.

 

I've travelled a lot for business and pleasure in the past few decades (thankfully, now retired, so less), and I've occasionally run into some real idiots on hotel staffs. IMO, the OP did the right thing -- object to the charge with the clerk, then the local mgr, then get the number for customer relations and take it up the line. I've found that if you've got a legitimate gripe, you'll eventually find someone with adequate common sense to resolve it.

 

Hi folks, at the risk of sounding like real dummy. I live in the country down here in Australia, my wife has travelled the world and been and seen it all. Me, i went to the beach one time. Anyway, we decided to take a drive to Sydney, the big city. I had been through it before but never stayed there. We where checking into this swanky hotel, i'm sitting in the foyer trying to work out what the painting was of on the wall, when out ot the corner of my eye i seen our car drive off. Well, i jumped up, ran outside, watched the car go round the corner, me high tailing after it. It turned into a driveway that went down under the motel. Two porters where behind me, how embarrassed was my wife you ask? Well, when we got into the room, she called some names that i won't own up to, some i would. She didn't mention anything about valet parking, i just thought someone was stealing our car. Haha, i think it's kinda funny now. yeah i was embarrassed as well, but i didn't let on at the time. I never did ask how much that cost us. I bet the people at the motel are still getting mileage from that visit

 

the one thing that hasn't been answered is if you were driving a car, and self parked, where would your car have been? and would there have been a charge? if it was free, and in the same lot, then yeah, you got ripped. but, if someone who self parked their auto would have been charged also, then maybe you should have paid it.

i got hit with the same thing in new orleans a couple years back. got a great rate on a hotel room for the week. didn't know that they charged $15.00 a night for parking though. that was $75.00 unexpected on my bill..... at least it was covered, and secure and not just out on the street somewhere.

 

Hehe... that would have been funny to watch, better yet if ya would of caught up to the guy and drug his azz outta the car...

 

I wondered this also as I see prices at $39.00 on the signs but not lower.

 

I've never been to a place where valets park motorcycles. If they did, I'd still park it myself. You're on a vehicle that takes a bit more skill to pilot than driving a car and would you seriously let a valet that's never ridden a bike before take your ride? Even the Village Idiot has enough common sense to not make that dumb of a mistake.

You're also paying for the convenience of parking in their lot. I don't know if you've ever stayed in one of them there big cities, but generally parking is a commodity and even if you don't get valet service, you're going to pay to park. $26 is a steal. I shoot bands at clubs around the inner harbor in Baltimore Md, and with the tax hikes the state imposed on the garage owners, you can end up paying $15-$20 for two hours if you don't want to walk 20 blocks to your destination. He could have not paid and parked where ever else he felt like paying for parking at.

I'll give it to him that he wasn't notified before hand about the parking fee by the hotel and they should have had signs up to warn of the fee or it should have been mentioned before hand. Rooms around Baltimore, DC, New York, etc... all make mention of a parking fee when applicable, at least the hotels that I've looked at or booked.

 

Have friends. I had people that worked at the Clarion that were friends of mine. They got Choice Hotels discounts. Stayed in a nice place out of OC, MD for something like $70 for 2 nights in a room that's normally $160+ a night.