Moteliers spend a lot of time thinking about car parking. A motel with a car park full of cars is a badge of honour. Cars neatly stacked outside guest rooms shows the outside world that a motel is successful and a desirable place to stay.
Potential guests driving along a motel-mile will be easily put off by an empty motel car park - like lone-flying ducks, customers will only feel comfortable to land when others are already there. That's why many moteliers will often use their own vehicles or those of friends and family as decoys to lure guests into their motel driveway. Many moteliers also like to stack their rooms, so that early arrivals are allocated rooms that has a car park visible from the road.
I once knew of a motel that seemed to be always busy...it turned out that the motelier also owned a second-hand car business. I've also heard stories of moteliers breaking the monotony by playing a large scale game of connect-four with cars that entailed allocating rooms to guests according to the car colour they arrive-in.
Most moteliers are obsessed with ensuring guests' cars are parked in an orderly manner, in the correct car park and exactly between the lines. Moteliers when showing a guest to their room have adopted their own unique gestures and hand signals to assist in the car parking process that is up there with the best of any New York traffic cop.
There are good reasons for a moteliers obsession with car parking, as guests tend to get grumpy if they are unable to squeeze into "their" allocated car park or a driveway is blocked by other guests erratic car parking attempts;-)
It never ceases to amaze me the inability of some folk to park a car. How some people mange to maneuver a vehicle out of their own driveway and traverse several hundred kilometres to arrive at my motel without leaving a trail of mayhem is beyond me. After standing by and agonising at some people's pathetic attempt to park their car in the wide open space in front of their guest room - I've been known to politely ask if I can park it for them - instead of embarrassment, this offer is often met with relief and appreciation.
While motel car parks in New Zealand are meticulously self-regulated by sometimes over-zealous motelier car parking nazis, I was amused to read that in the township of Cinnaminson, USA, motel guests that park incorrectly outside their guest room could attract the wrath of the local police department.
The new municipal code dictates that cars are to be parked in front of motel guest rooms "nose-in." Apparently, this style of parking reduces a motorist’s ability to easily drive off if police need to make a stop and thwarts guests that back-up to a motel guest room using their vehicle to shield criminal activity. Motel car parking infringements will be subject to a US$100 fine.
Maybe moteliers in New Zealand could consider a new revenue stream by issuing in-house fines to guests with dodgy parking abilities?
