Prior to installation, the garage estimates $50,000 in losses annually. The garage now generates over $100,000 in new revenue.
The Challenges
The newly renovated Holiday Inn San Antonio River Walk is located in the heart of downtown and directly on the River Walk. Sitting across from two theaters, the 314-room hotel is also within walking distance from restaurants and shops. The parking garage has 225 spaces and is a simple one-in one-out facility. Before the installation of TIBA equipment the facility contained a Magnetic Autocontrol gate on entry that would open by single button remotes. Upon check-in at the hotel, guests who required parking would receive a hand-written parking pass and charges were manually added to the guest’s folio. Guests handed the parking pass to an attendant who opened the gate from the remote. This system required at least 2 attendants during business hours to write parking passes and control access into the garage.
Without automation the hotel could not maximize on added revenue streams from overnight and transient parking. Almost nightly, the two theaters in the area generate traffic flow, as do the many cafes and shops. With only one attendant working off-business hours, the garage could not advertise parking and risk too much inflow to the garage without staff to support the traffic.
The second loss that the garage incurred was from claims by guests that they did not have a car in the facility and were overcharged for parking. Without a record of entry and no barrier on exit, the hotel could not show otherwise and consistently adjusted charges according to the guests’ claim. The hotel estimates losses of $50,000 per year due to adjustments.
The Solutions
After a $15 million renovation the hotel planned to update the parking facility to an automated system. The project was awarded to i3 Concepts, who installed the equipment in May 2015 aiding in minor lane construction for better traffic flow in and out of the garage. The installation included an entry station and exit station where patrons pay by credit card only. A customer preferring to pay with cash can pay in the hotel and have his receipt validated for insertion in the exit station. The hotel uses TIBA SmartPark management running the Opera PMS software.
The system went live June 1, 2015 and the hotel immediately advertised public and overnight parking. In the first month of automation and advertising, the garage generated $4,400 in new money for transient parkers. Revenue more than doubled to $10,400 in July and continued to increase every month until November, when it reached over $14,000 in revenue. The hotel anticipates annual revenue of over $100,000 from transient parkers.
Due to automation the facility has record of every car in the facility without more claims by guests. The hotel now saves $50,000 per year on these adjustments.
In addition to tremendous new revenue streams due to the TIBA installation, the equipment has required no service or maintenance. The system is user friendly both for employees of the hotel and for customers.
The Results
- $100,000 per year in new revenue for the garage
- The hotel saves $50,000 from claims adjustments
- One attendant per shift (down from two per shift), saving $12,000 annually in labor costs
- 100% compliance, no violations
- One-in and one-out, full automation
- Since installation, the equipment has required no service or maintenance
The Numbers
- Entry Station
- Credit Card Only Exit Station
- Opera PMS Integration
About TIBA Parking
TIBA Parking Systems develops and manufactures innovative hardware and cutting edge software for parking access and revenue control systems. With 29 years of experience in barcode technology, design and production, TIBA systems cater to customers from widely diverse industries and incorporates LPR, video surveillance and automation. TIBA’s management software is a robust, intuitive, open architecture system based on modern software tools, for easy 3 rd party integration and emerging technologies. TIBA's extensive dealer network serves the US market, Australia, Europe Africa and Asia. For more information about TIBA Parking Systems, please visitthe company’s website.
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