Are the Valet Parkers Sharing in the New Fees for Their Services?

I was recently in Las Vegas and used valet parking, which cost $30 a night (Aria). After paying $60 for two nights, I didn’t tip when I got my car. I felt guilty about it, but I had shelled out a lot of money for my car to basically sit in a garage for 48 hours. So I was thinking, do the valet parking employees get a little bit of the parking fees? Maybe they got a small raise when hotels started charging for parking? Also, since hotels started charging for parking, I’m sure guests are expecting better valet-parking service now.

That grievance has already been raised by the valets.

MGM Resorts International, however, solved that problem by outsourcing most of its parking-valet responsibilities (and employees) to SP Plus, an American provider of parking-facility management services.

The valets had very little say in the matter, but at least their new boss promised a hands-off attitude toward the pay, seniority, time off, and health benefits promised by MGM.

Valets at Luxor, Excalibur, and Circus Circus were a more complicated matter, since they're represented by the Teamsters Union, preventing MGM from making a quick switchover to SP Plus in their case. At the time of the handoff, MGM CFO Corey Sanders rationalized it thusly, “We determined the best-practice operation of our enhanced parking facilities required an expert hand.” Needless to say, the MGM-to-SP transfer absolved the casino company from having to offer valets pay raises.

As for sharing parking fees between casinos and attendants, the notion is so radical we feel 101% confident in saying it would be dismissed out of hand, if it were ever even considered. For one thing, if the casinos went into revenue-sharing with their parking valets, how many other categories of service workers would be clamoring for the same treatment? Big Gaming isn’t about to open that particular Pandora’s box.

MGM doesn’t comment on employee compensation and both Wynn Resorts and Caesars Entertainment dove under the table when we came calling, so you’ll have to be satisfied with our best surmise, based on years of experience.

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Comments

Kevin Lewis Jun-10-2019

$30 a night???

For the privilege of parking and then paying $299 a night (plus resort fee, plus tax, plus tax on the resort fee, plus reservations surcharge) to stay there---or just going inside and blowing your money. If I were so stupid as to pay that parking fee, though, I would tip the valet as usual.

Why does ANYONE patronize the Strip megatoilets any more? Is it just that some people don't mind being ripped off? Or that some people have so much money that paying ridiculous fees to patronize the putrid pleasure palaces of Vegas doesn't even register with them?

Ray Jun-10-2019

Why skimp now?

A tip to the valet is peanuts compared to all the things this person paid in those 2 nights. The valets didn't set the prices, just like waiters don't set the prices in a restaurant. Good service in Vegas deserves a good tip. If you think the price for the service is too much, park somewhere else, eat somewhere else, stay somewhere else. But don't stiff the help.

Randall Ward Jun-10-2019

valet tips

hate tip culture but valet is the same everywhere not just Vegas,  has nothing to with cost.

Pat Higgins Jun-10-2019

Pat H

Just another way to rip off the customer.  I am temped not to tip since I must pay such a rip off such as parking fee.  However I do make a modest tip even when I must pay a parking fee.  The valet does have to eat, pay rent, etc.

Brent Jun-10-2019

$299 a night?

If anyone is paying $299 a night for a room on the Strip, they aren't doing it right.

As far as valet parking charges go: don't use the valet. I'm not happy about parking charges either, but self-park is significantly cheaper, and you never have to worry about whether to tip.

Bottom line---if you are willing to pay a $299 base rate for a room AND you feel the need to valet park, you'd better be willing to tip, or you are just a jerk.

[email protected] Jun-10-2019

Almost Funny

It would almost be funny if it weren't so tiresome.  Every time you post an article about resort fees, parking fees, etc., the first comment rants and raves about the fees.  Guess, what, we get it!  We know you don't like them, so there is no need to keep going on and on about them.

That said, a few points.  Many people who stay at Aria are there on business, so they aren't paying anything - their employers are.  Many people who stay on the strip are getting their rooms comped, so even if they have to pay a fee, it's the entire cost of their room.  If they are paying for their rooms, likely $30 is no big deal to them.  Finally, pretty much every resort in the country charges mandatory resort fees.  Next week I'm going to a conference at a Ritz Carlton in Fort Lauderdale.  It has a mandatory $40 resort fee.  I'd be interested if anyone on this board is aware of a nice resort outside of LAS that doesn't have a resort fee.

O2bnVegas Jun-10-2019

This is about TIPPING

Not about resort fees, or the cost of a room, or about 6:5 blackjack, or even parking fees.  Ray has it right.  People who bitch about the idea of a small $ show of appreciation to low wage employees, e.g. the valets who provide YOU a service...well, what goes around comes around.

David Miller Jun-10-2019

Original question

 Back to the original question of this posting - the hotels/casinos knew when they implemented these rip off parking fees that valets everywhere would suffer - and they didn't/ don't care. And why should they, for , once again, the visitors to Vegas were and are expected to make up for the lost valet revenue by brow beating the visitors to feel it is their responsibility to make up the difference. Check out the "tipping guides', they all have raised the "suggested" percentage to tip upwards. Personally, I only tip for service - good service, good tip - poor service, poor tip if any at all. I do not owe any service worker anything just because they had taken a job that depends on tips. Their choice of job - my choice to tip or not.

Gramps Jun-11-2019

No Tip

My feelings are if I'm paying $60 to have my car park, I'll be damned if I'm giving anyone a tip! Tipping has gotten out of control, started at 10% then 15% now it's up to 20 or 22%. Why does it matter how much the meal cost for how much you tip? If you have a $200 meal at a fine restaurant, do you leave a $40 dollar tip and then turn around and have a $12 breakfast at a diner and only leave $2.40? Why not leave them both the same? Just because you work at a fancier place doesn't mean you work any harder, but you sure as hell expect more of a tip. And if you're saying, well maybe the waitress at the diner should find a better place to work. I call BS, stop the percentage and just pay the same tip to anyone who waits on your table or parks your car.

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