SAN DIEGO — SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego hotel guests could soon pay more for valet parking if the city moves forward with a proposal to significantly increase fees charged to hotels and restaurants for curbside valet spaces.
The proposal, which has already been approved by the City Council's Active Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, will go before the full City Council next month.
Under the new fee structure, the city would charge $5,000 for two standard valet spaces, with additional spaces costing $10,000 each. Spaces in special event zones would cost $15,000.
Todd Husted, general manager of the Horton Grand Hotel, said the increases would create financial strain for downtown hotels.
"This is really when the uproar began with all the hotel operators in the city," Husted said. "It's been a very disappointing situation."
The Horton Grand Hotel currently has four valet spaces and faces a potential cost increase of about $5,000 under the proposal, while other hotels could see increases of around $6,000.
"It'd be $20,000 plus the automatic $5,000 fee that we're paying now on top as well," Husted said.
The city aims to recover lost revenue from parking meters when curb space is designated for valet service. However, Husted argues the approach is flawed for larger hotels.
"It's a much greater impact for most of the hotels downtown to give them two spots when they have 89 spots. Operationally, for a 300+ room hotel, it just doesn't work that way," Husted said.
Currently, the Horton Grand Hotel charges $59 for overnight valet parking and $30 per day. If the proposal passes, Husted said customers could see rate increases.
"Valet parking is so expensive to begin with; we can't do a huge hike, but it can be 10 to 20% initially at the start of the year," Husted said.
In a statement, the city said: "As demand for curbside access increased and the value of curb space became more apparent, particularly in high-traffic commercial areas, the City recognized the need to better manage and equitably allocate this limited resource."
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