The Tampa Marriott Waterside, a $100-million waterfront luxury hotel located in the heart of downtown Tampa’s entertainment district was challenged: There was no available parking for their guests on-site. Being part of one of the nation’s largest hotel chains, they realized their only avenue was to valet park all vehicles that came to their site. Expecting more than 1,000 cars each day, the management of the Tampa Marriott Waterside realized they had to hire a professional parking company to provide valet parking and front-door services to hotel guests and visitors. Approaching a number of national parking companies, the Tampa Marriott Waterside decided they would entrust their valet and front-door services to Seven One Seven Parking Enterprises, a leader in the hospitality valet parking industry, and a company known to deliver solutions. In addition, the company was also headquartered in Tampa.
The Discoveries
Headed by our most senior parking manager, a team of professionals was assembled to analyze the site and develop a parking plan that would exceed Marriott’s expectations. Their findings included: the nearest parking for valet vehicles was in a garage about 1.5 blocks from the hotel and there was limited front-drive space to stage vehicles; plus, both the St. Pete Times Forum and Tampa Convention Center would impact traffic flow in and around the hotel. Seven One Seven’s operational team developed a customized parking program that included the following elements: flexibility, accountability, teamwork and hospitality training. Our team also realized that the parking fees being considered by the hotel were below market averages for similar 4-star hotel locations in the downtown market.