Valet parking happens at your destination: an attendant takes your car at the door of a restaurant, hotel, event or office, parks it nearby, and brings it back when you leave. Meet and greet is an airport parking service: a driver meets you at the terminal, takes your car to a secure lot while you travel, and has it ready when you land.
How does valet parking work?
You pull up to the valet stand, hand your key to a uniformed attendant, and receive a claim ticket. The attendant parks the car in a lot or garage close by. When you are ready to go, you show the ticket and the car is brought to the entrance. The whole visit usually lasts a few hours, and the car stays near the building the entire time.
Businesses use valet to make arrival easy and to keep the entrance clear. It is common at weddings, private parties and corporate events, hotels, restaurants, hospitals and office buildings.
How does meet and greet parking work?
Meet and greet is built around travel. The usual steps are:
- You book ahead and share your flight details.
- You call the driver as you approach the airport.
- The driver meets you at the terminal, checks the car with you and takes the keys.
- Your car goes to a secure lot, usually off the airport grounds, while you are away.
- When you land, the driver returns the car to you at the terminal.
It saves the shuttle ride from long-term parking, which helps travelers with heavy luggage, young children or tight schedules.
You will also hear "meet and greet" used in a broader hospitality sense: a staff member who greets an arriving guest and escorts them, or a driver who picks up a visiting executive. In parking, though, it almost always means the airport service.
What are the main differences?
- Where: valet happens at the venue you are visiting. Meet and greet happens at the airport.
- How long: valet holds your car for hours. Meet and greet holds it for days or weeks.
- Where the car goes: valet parks close by. Meet and greet usually stores the car off site.
- Who books it: valet is usually arranged by the host or business. Meet and greet is booked by the traveler.
- Who it serves: valet serves guests, patients, residents and employees. Meet and greet serves travelers.
Which one is right for you?
If you are hosting an event or running a building where people arrive by car, you need valet parking. If you are flying out and want your car waiting for you when you land, you need meet and greet.
The two have one thing in common: you are handing your car and your keys to someone else. In both cases, ask how keys are stored, where the car will be parked, and what insurance covers it while it is out of your hands. Our page on whether valet parking is safe covers the questions worth asking.
What does VIP Parking Solutions provide?
We provide valet parking and hospitality staffing for events, hotels, hospitals, office buildings and residential buildings in Denver and across Colorado, including the mountain resort towns. Every assignment is staffed with our own employees. The greeting side of the job matters to us as much as the parking: for many guests, the valet is the first person they meet. See our Denver valet company page for the full list of services and locations.
Frequently asked questions
They are close. Both hand your car to a driver near the terminal. Meet and greet usually means the driver comes to you and the car is stored off the airport grounds while you travel.
Valet parking. Guests drive to the venue, hand over their keys at the entrance, and get their cars back when they leave. See event valet in Denver.
As a guest, usually not. The host or business arranges it. Meet and greet airport parking almost always needs a booking with your flight details.