Advantages and opportunities of digital parking management in tourism and the hotel industry

‍‍Attractivedestinations and higher profitability - how tourist communities benefit from digital parking solutions

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Once they arrive at their destination, vacationers sometimes experience frustration instead of joy: heavy search traffic, overcrowded parking lots, and traffic jams in front of barriers and in the streets. If no free spaces are available or if they are poorly designated, the rate of parking violations increases. These factors also represent burdens for the municipalities and can have a negative impact on the visitor experience and the quality of life in the localities. The management and control of parking through barrier systems generates high acquisition, maintenance and repair costs. This, as well as the use of human resources to track parking violators, creates economic burdens for communities. Digital parking management systems enable tourist communities to manage their parking areas efficiently and profitably and to ease the situation in the localities.

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Less search traffic and backups for a stress-free visitor experience

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‍Insearch of parking spaces, holidaymakers often drive several laps through towns or wait in front of barriers to enter a parking lot. The increased volume of traffic also increases noise pollution and CO2 emissions. If parking spaces are managed digitally, barriers are no longer necessary and parkers can enter and leave the spaces directly. Vehicle license plates are recorded by cameras in compliance with the GDPR. In contrast to areas for which parkers have to buy a parking ticket in advance and commit to a certain duration, they are flexible here and do not have to return to the machine in between if they spontaneously want to park for longer. This is convenient for guests and municipalities benefit from the revenue generated by the precisely calculated parking time. Fewer traffic jams relieve the situation in urban areas and ensure a stress-free visitor experience. In combination with parking guidance systems, search traffic can also be reduced, as visitors can specifically navigate to free parking spaces.

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Costly and high-maintenance barriers are eliminated

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Barrier systems in parking lots not only cause traffic jams in towns and cities, but are also a cost factor that should not be underestimated. In addition to high purchase prices, there are always costs for maintenance and repair of the systems - if the barriers are defective, the parking spaces can be entered and exited uncontrolled, and the necessary income from parking fees is lost. With the automatic license plate recognition of a digital parking solution, classic barrier systems become obsolete - this saves the municipalities avoidable expenses.

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Easy tracking of parking violators

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‍Falseparkers not only annoy residents in tourist communities, but also have a negative impact on the economic viability of the resorts. "In the past, we had to assign staff to check whether all parkers had bought a ticket. That left a lot of leeway for parking violators, and some took advantage of that in the hope of not being checked," says Matthias Weckbach, mayor of the Bodman-Ludwigshafen municipality on Lake Constance until June 2023, which has been digitally managing a total of four parking lots since August 2022. The digital parking management system now makes parking control efficient and profitable. Tracking is automated on the digitized parking areas: "We invest the additional revenue and saved expenses in measures in the municipality to improve the offer and the visitor-friendliness of the place."

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Added value for hotels and their guests in tourist communities

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Convenient and uncomplicated parking facilities are a must for guests arriving at the hotel by car and can even be a selection criterion. Hotels within tourist communities depend on efficient and functioning parking management and benefit from the synergies. Eased search traffic and eliminated backups make guests' arrivals and departures pleasant and improve their vacation experience, which motivates them to gladly come back and rate the hotel positively.

"As a hotelier, it is very important to me that the heavy search traffic in Bodman-Ludwigshafen is reduced during peak hours and generally on weekends or holidays. In the digital management of parking areas in the municipality, we see a great opportunity to meet this challenge. This relaxes the whole place and makes it more attractive for the guest," says Armin Belz, hotel manager of the "Hotel Anker" in Bodman-Ludwigshafen about the implementation of the digital parking management system including parking guidance system in the municipality.

Satisfied guests through smart parking solutions for hotels

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A successful vacation requires more than an attractive destination and a nice room with a view - heavy search traffic and congestion in tourist communities are not only a stress factor for day visitors, but also negatively influence the impression of overnight guests. Digital management of parking areas and factors such as less search traffic within tourist communities therefore also have a positive effect on hotel guests. If a good impression of the accommodation is created even before the actual check-in, nothing stands in the way of a relaxed start to the most wonderful time of the year.

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Smooth arrival for guests and relief for hotel employees

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Arriving in front of the hotel after a long drive and having to wait in front of a barrier until the parking garage or underground car park can be accessed does not make a positive impression on guests. Often, a bell still has to be pressed so that reception staff can open a barrier or a rolling gate - if they are busy with other guests or on the phone, the waiting time in front of the barrier is unnecessarily delayed and causes annoyance. A digital parking solution relieves the hotel staff, who can instead devote their full attention to the guests in the building, while vacationers can easily enter and exit the parking area. At the same time, hotel operators benefit economically by eliminating cost-intensive barrier systems. 

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Simple mixed use of parking areas

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Parking areas belonging to hotels are often affected by mixed use, as they are not only used by guests; employees of the establishments also rely on parking spaces, especially in the case of hotels that have poor connections to the public transport network due to their location. The use of a digital parking management system is the ideal solution for hotel operators to generate optimal utilization of parking spaces, for example in the designation of parking spaces for employees, whose license plates can be stored and managed in the dashboard. 

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Summary

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Digital parking management systems offer tourist destinations and hotels the opportunity to increase their attractiveness for holidaymakers and residents while at the same time boosting profitability. The elimination of barrier systems reduces search traffic and, above all, eliminates the backlogs that used to form in front of them. At the same time, expenditure on maintenance and repairs to the systems is saved. Another advantage is the possibility of automatically tracking parking offenders. This not only generates additional income, but also reduces expenditure on staffing, which can be invested in upgrading measures in the municipalities. Local hoteliers, as in the case of the Hotel Anker in the tourist town of Bodman-Ludwigshafen on Lake Constance, benefit from the synergies of digital parking solutions. A pleasant arrival and departure has an overall positive effect on the visitor experience and motivates guests to return. If digital parking management systems are used in the parking areas of hotels, not only are there economic advantages for the businesses by saving costs for the barrier systems, employees do not have to deal with the opening and closing of barriers, but can devote themselves entirely to the hotel guests, while arriving or departing guests can leave the areas easily and without waiting.

However, it is not only tourist-oriented municipalities and hotels that benefit from the use of digital parking solutions; leisure facilities such as mountain railroads, bathing lakes and swimming pools also use the systems to ensure greater customer satisfaction and higher turnover, especially during the low season.