Preventing Crashes Extending Parking Connected Committee 28 Into Buildings 34 Facility Life 38 Vehicles 44 Updates

THE INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE MAY 2017

Beyond the Uproar 22 The tech that lets ’s famous resorts charge for parking L 22 behind the program was a desire to improve the guest experience. impetus the International, Resorts MGM to Accordingprocess. Other companies, including Wynn Resorts, have begun the planning Caesars Entertainment, which put parking suites in five properties. installedproperties,itsparkingof technology 11 followed at by the parkingexperienceforguests. have begun to install parking technology designed to better manage parking resources and enhance Beyond

The trend started with MGM ResortsMGMInternational,trendstartedwith The which a centurya ofproviding free parking tovisitors and local residents, resorts upand down the Strip the has assumed a new mantle: parking technology pioneer.LATENIGHTS AND LIGHTS AfterBRIGHT FOR moreKNOWN BEEN LONG thanHAS VEGAS half AS INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE INSTITUTE PARKING INTERNATIONAL | MAY 2017 the address some of their most common concerns—challenging navi concerns—challenging common most their of some address customerfeedback andcarefully planned these improvements to International chief operating ofcer. aspect of our resort experience,” says Corey Sanders, this to MGMenhancement an Resortsdeserve and expect guests Our us. with “ The parking process is our customers’ first and last touch-point But you probably haven’t heard about the massive When Las Vegas’ famous resorts started charging technology installation was heard worldwide. worldwide. heard was for parking last year it that madeitpossible. “We ’ve taken into account our By Bill Smith Bill By . Now, however, -

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gation and difculty finding available spaces. We acknowledge that parkers quickly and conveniently find available parking spaces; and this aspect of our resort experience can be improved, and we’re SP+ serves as MGM’s parking operator. Each was added to MGM’s taking an aggressive approach.” parking task force. Ultimately, the task force settled on a plan that would lead to the The Starting Line creation and installation of a comprehensive parking technology MGM began the process in the summer of 2015 by establishing an program serving all of the company’s Las Vegas resorts, including internal parking task force. The task force evaluated the parking chal- MGM Grand Las Vegas, , Mirage, Aria, , Delano lenges presented by the parking facilities in their various properties Las Vegas, Monte Carlo, Luxor, Excalibur, , and New York New and outlined a preliminary strategy for meeting those challenges. York. The $90 million program was the largest parking technology Through an RFP process, the company sought out parking partners installation ever undertaken by a private company, permitting the and selected a team comprised of SP+, Sentry Control Systems, and management of 60,000 parking spaces throughout Las Vegas. INDECT USA. Sentry was chosen to create a technology suite that The centerpiece of the MGM parking program is a SKIDATA would provide a frictionless parking experience for guests and staf; access and revenue system that features state-of-the-art bar code INDECT was selected to create a parking guidance program to help readers, RFID technology, and mag strip readers. The equipment can parking.org/tpp MAY 2017 | INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE 23 of our guests are first-time users who are unfamiliar with these types of technology. The flexibility of the technology really meets everyone’s needs because it can read room key cards, loyalty cards, and credit cards. We didn’t want our guests to have to carry around another badge to get in and out of parking, and the technology package keeps the parking process extremely simple.” According to Lunn, the parking guidance technology is particularly popular with guests. “We are receiving a lot of positive comments about the program, particularly the … sensors,” Lunn says. “Before we implemented this program it was often challenging to find a space. Now, the parking guidance technology directs drivers right to an open space, and guests are communicating to us about how much they love the system.” Some of the new read room keys, employee Dana Wade, director of busi- additions to Las Vegas resort garages include badges, driver’s licenses, ness development for Sentry in sensors with green and military IDs, and tickets to special Las Vegas, says ensuring sensors red lights to help drivers events to admit vehicles and direct are reliable is key in a system this quickly find available drivers to appropriate parking big. “Sensors aren’t any good if parking, and wayfinding areas. The readers can also recog- they aren’t accurate or if they lead signs to help them navigate after parking nize the company’s proprietary M Life Loyalty program parkers to a space that’s already occupied,” he says. “If their cars. cards to provide complimentary parking to members. you’re in a rush, the last thing you need is to be directed Parking privileges extend to other MGM resorts as well, to a space that’s already full.” permitting guests to visit other without having to worry about paying for parking. Implementation Upon entering a garage at one of the MGM properties, As easy as the parking technology is for guests to navigate, license plate recognition (LPR) equipment records the implementing the program was no simple matter. MGM’s driver’s vehicle information, associating that vehicle aggressive timeline gave SP+, Sentry, and INDECT just with the driver’s credentials. When the driver is ready six months to design the program, work out all of the to leave the garage the LPR system recognizes the kinks, install the equipment, and have it tested and up vehicle license plate, and if the parking fee is satisfied and running. That timeline would have been challenging the gate will open for the customer to exit. The entire under any circumstances, but considering the massive transaction is completed without drivers having to stop size of the installation, putting everything together in just at an exit gate. six months required extraordinary efort on the part of both MGM Resorts staf and their partners. Putting Guests First “I can’t overstate how important our partners were It was essential to MGM that the parking program in getting this done so quickly,” Lunn says. “Sentry built provide guests a more pleasant and convenient parking a demonstration room in one of our conference rooms experience. To that end, MGM initially installed INDECT to show us how the technology was going to work. All of single-space parking guidance systems at several prop- the equipment was in there—LPR, pay-on-foot, an exit erties, including the MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Monte column. That’s how they problem-solved. They ran our Carlo, Aria Employee, and New York, New York parking people through the payment process to make sure every- structures. Sensors were later added at Bellagio and Aria. thing worked properly, showed us how it worked, and The sensors use a highly visible, LED lighting system to trained the people who would be running the program. help drivers identify where parking can be found and guide “When we added components, such as ofering several them directly to open spaces. The parking management months of free parking to locals through their driver’s software associated with the sensors allows visitors to licenses, we worked out the kinks in that room,” Lunn access additional customer service amenities, including continues. “There were no lay-ups; everything was a loyalty program benefits and special validation ofers. three-point shot. These guys had to make sure it would “Our customers have been pleasantly surprised by work, and they did.” how much the technology has improved the parking According to Dale Fowler, director of INDECT USA, experience,” says Travis Lunn, senior vice president one of the most important and unusual elements of the for hotel operations at MGM Grand Las Vegas. “Many MGM program is that all of the parking spaces for the 11

24 INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MAY 2017 The Bellagio and other resorts added space- available signs outside and inside garages to help drivers quickly park and be on their way.

properties are managed The centerpiece of the Caesars program is a parking from a single central- guidance system designed to help guests easily identify ized command center. occupied and unoccupied self-parking spaces. Caesars All the garages are tied installed the LED sensors in five of the company’s prop- together through fiber erties: , Harrah’s Las Vegas, Flamingo Las optics. MGM’s central- Vegas, Bally’s Las Vegas, and . ized command center “The new parking system allows our guests to easily provides the company navigate our large parking garages at five of our Las greater control over all of its parking facilities and per- Vegas properties,” Broome says. “The LED lights allow mits parking management staf to immediately respond guests to see which parking spots are currently empty or to any issues that may arise. occupied by another guest. There are also parking signs MGM’s Lunn says that as beneficial as the parking at the entrance to each parking level, alerting guests to program has been for guests, it has also provided sig- the number of available spots on that particular level. nificant benefits to the company. This will cut down on the amount of time guests spend “The parking program has really refocused the looking for parking within our garages, creating a better company’s attention on our parking areas and our experience and allowing them to spend more time on guests’ experiences in those areas,” Lunn says. “We’ve property enjoying our hospitality oferings.” been able to take our new parking revenues and invest them in our parking facilities, freshening and cleaning The Effects them and replacing lighting with more sustainable “Our Las Vegas properties are most concerned about creating motion-controlled technologies. We’ve also added am- an unforgettable experience for all of our guests,” Broome bassadors within facilities to assist guests. All of these continues. “When we received feedback about the scarce strategies provide a much better parking experience parking and valet services, we immediately knew that for our guests.” something needed to change. Adopting this new program Like MGM, Caesars Entertainment recently over- allows for a better experience for our guests, local residents, hauled the parking programs at its resorts in Las Vegas. and our Total Rewards loyalty program members.” Caesars’ program, which includes new paid valet and While parking programs like those at MGM Resorts self-parking, was designed with an eye to improving the and Caesars clearly represent a growing trend in Las parking experience for guests, local residents, and mem- Vegas, Wade says that their efects will be felt well BILL SMITH is a bers of the company’s loyalty program, Total Rewards. beyond the Strip. contributing editor “Guests who stay, game, and shop at our resorts “These programs were unparalleled in terms of both to The Parking have said that parking spaces and valet services had their size and the extent to which diferent technologies Professional and become increasingly scarce,” says Richard Broome, were integrated to work together,” Wade says. “The MGM a public relations executive vice president of public afairs and com- and Caesars programs demonstrate how any organiza- consultant specializing in munications for Caesars Entertainment. “We believe tion can successfully implement a variety of parking parking. He can be that implementing a paid parking program while also technologies to provide a better customer experience, reached at bsmith@ investing in LED parking guidance systems will help while at the same time managing their parking assets smith-phillips.com. address these issues.” more efectively.”

26 INTERNATIONAL PARKING INSTITUTE | MAY 2017