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Get a referral

The best way to find a professional valet company is by word of mouth. If you have an event caterer, planner or a car rental company, ask them who to recommend good valet companies you can hire. These people already have a lot of experience working with parking companies; they will know who the best in the business is. Whether you are not using a caterer or an event planner for your event, don’t shy away from calling to get recommendations.

Choose quality

After getting recommendations, narrow down the list to two companies to make a better choice. Compare their charges but beware of the low cost provider. Just because a company charges low rates does not automatically mean they offer quality services. You usually get what you pay for. If you find the costs are too low, that can only mean they will not be able to provide quality services. These companies look for unqualified valets so that they don’t have to pay their staff good money. In turn you end up with unprofessional valets who may end up causing costly damages to your guests. Find out more about a company before hiring them to get to know how well-trained their staff is. A well-established valet company will have a better system in place for quality control, training and employee management. The company will also have the financial capability to cover any accidents that may occur.

Request a site visit

Once you get a company you can work with, find out if they can offer a free in-person consultation for your event if your location is unfamiliar to them. If they agree, use this opportunity to get comfortable with the valet vendor to make sure they seem reputable, professional and honest. If a company refuses to come for a site visit, that should serve as a red flag and you should immediately stop any further dealings with them. A reputable valet company will not shy away from a site visit since they use this time to plan how to manage the traffic flow, parking arrivals and where the cars will be parked. All this preparations are very important to ensure that there is minimum backup or delays.

Get a written estimate

After a successful site visit, you should ask your valet vendor to send you a written estimate of the total cost. The estimate should include details of what time their staffs are expected to arrive and the number of valets you should expect at your event. Most valet companies charge by the hour and charge a flat rate for short events. Ensure you check the document for any hidden charges. If you find any, ask the valet vendor to explain the charges before committing to the contract.

Fully insured

It is not uncommon for accidents to happen in the car parking business. It is vital to make sure that the valet company has proper insurance coverage. If the valet vendor does not have proper insurance, you as the event planner will be held liable in case of unforeseen injury or accident.