levistar

Have any of you used valet parking? We are going to NYC this summer and all the hotels in Manhattan use valet parking. Not to sound like a hick from the sticks,but I'm not comfortable with this service. Or has Hollywood made the car jockeys worse then they are? Once there,the car will not be driven until we leave NYC.

SoCaliTrojan

I once stayed at a hotel where the public parking structure was shared with the valet parking. The valet was trying to make a sharp turn and ended up hitting a sign on the booth (I was next to pay, but let the valet guy go in front of me). The guy in the booth only charged me 50% or something...I guess he wanted to buy our silence.

I don't trust valets because you are essentially giving responsibility of an expensive car to a stranger. You don't know if they'll park it safely, eat lunch in it while listening to your radio, etc.

This also reminds me of when I went to the local honda dealer. You would think that their techs would know about a curb inside their dealership, but the tech drove the CRV such that the right tires had to do some curb climbing.

If valet parking is the only thing that is available, though, then you don't really have a choice.

By the way, if I got a job as a valet, I would certainly mistreat the nice cars. Might as well enjoy what I can while doing a dreary job. (That reminds me, I should load up grand theft auto and do some valet jobs on it...lol)

patcracks

theres a million parking garages and a million people who park in them in manhattan...dont worry your car will be fine.

Audioserf

I don't trust valets either. If I'm going to a place that won't let me park my own car, I turn around and leave.

Craig-D

You guys have watched "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" way too many times. At a reputable high-end establishment your car will be returned unharmed. If you park at a lot with a bunch of expensive cars, you can be sure your TSX will not top the list of the ones someone would want to have fun with. Inspect the car inside and out before you depart just to be sure.

HeavyDuty

I went off on a tangent sometime last year and ended up drunk at the Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island, FL in my Skyline with some chica from...somewhere.

I tipped the valet dude either $20 or $50 and he let me self park up front.

The next afternoon, I stumbled down the hall in yesterdays clothes still sandy & wet from some romp on the beach that night. The hotel detective was following us around until we got in the car & left.

For relevant content...try tipping them to give you a good spot.

ressling

^ no doubt. you get what you pay for. also keep in mind if anyone is truly worried about his/her TSX, that there are WAAAAAY nicer cars that get valet'd on a daily basis...

Doesn't make it right or wrong, but i'm just saying...

bonjyng

iTrader: (1)

quick tip from a valet in vegas. when you valet your car, make sure you give atleast $5.00 in. this is enough to ensure you got a good spot. if you're not ever coming back to that place, you dont have to give tip out but make sure you never come back :-) remember, we make our living from tips.

levistar

Thanks for the tip. no pun intended. We have booked a nice hotel in Jersey City. It has valet parking and I was planning on tipping