Save Money on Airport Parking and Get a Great Start to Your Holiday

If you have recently bought and paid for a holiday abroad this article is for you. Here are two pieces of information that will not only enhance your trip but will also save you money on your airport parking fees. There are also plenty of tips here to get the most out of your airport parking purchase and get the best possible start to your trip.

My advice to accomplish both of these seemingly contradictory aims is to book your parking in advance and book Meet and Greet parking. You will charged full retail price if you just turn up on the day so be smart and book ahead to get the best deal.

How can you save money on your airport parking?

To save money on your airport parking simply book in advance but make sure you shop around for the best deal. Most parking chim giả companies use a ‘smart’ time sensitive pricing systems similar to the pricing models used by airlines whereby the price of the ticket rises as you get closer to the date of departure. Airport parking is the same so you will pay more on the day than if you book in advance.

The other advantage of booking in advance is that you will secure your parking space. During the summer months many car parks become oversubscribed. It would be a shame to miss your flight whilst you were driving around looking for a space. Book early and you will guarantee you have somewhere to park your car.

Of course you could always park in the short term car park, and I do know someone who did for two weeks, but the parking costs came to more than the cost of the flights!

There are many web sites that compare airport parking prices so a quick search via your preferred search engine should produce the desired results. Bear in mind that although the airport parking sector is very competitive and there are some great deals out there, airport parking is like life – you get what you pay for!

What is so great about Meet and Greet Parking?

Meet and Greet parking, sometimes called chauffeur parking or valet parking, is the most convenient form of parking. You are met at the terminal forecourt by a member of the parking company’s staff usually with a trolley ready for your luggage. They will take your car and park it for you.

When you return your car will be delivered back to you on the terminal forecourt and you will be free to continue your homeward journey with the minimum of delay.

The benefits of meet and greet parking are clear

1. No delay getting to the check-in desk

2. No carrying your own heavy luggage around

3. No herding children onto busses

4. No waiting for the shuttle service to and from the airport

You stay dry, unflustered, on time and in good health ready to start your holiday.

If you spend the little extra on a meet and greet parking service you do not want to be delayed waiting around for your driver when all you need to do is check-in? Especially as you have probably arrived with less of a time cushion before the desk closes than if you booked ordinary long term parking.

Then, when you return, you want your car waiting for you out side the terminal. You do not want to be waiting for it or you may as well have bought the cheaper shuttle bus parking. Some parking companies do offer a money back guarantee if they keep you waiting but they are rare at the moment.

Why book meet and greet parking and not cheaper long-term parking?

If you book meet and greet parking you will have purchased the most convenient and stress-free parking available. Ordinary long-term airport parking takes longer and is nowhere near as simple.

Ordinary long term parking can be a bit of a drag as you are required to find the car park, park your car and then make your way to the shuttle bus to get a ride to the airport all the while carrying your heavy luggage. You will need to load your own bags onto and off of the bus at either end of this journey and also on the return trip don’t forget. Pray it’s not raining and your children, if you have any with you, are well behaved and that you don’t strain your back before you’ve even got on the plane!

When you return you will need to find the shuttle bus stop and catch the bus to the car park to collect your car all the while dragging your bags with you. At busy times of the year many flights often land in quick succession late at night and it can take two or three busses to reduce the queue enough so that you can even get on the bus. I’ve been there and experienced it. You really don’t need to.

Now you have the knowledge get out there and book your meet and greet parking. Just make sure you do it in advance and you will have a great hassle-free start to your holiday without breaking the bank.

Doing business over meals is a ritual that has existed for centuries. Taking clients to breakfast, lunch or dinner has long been an effective way to build relationships, make the sale or seal the deal. These business meals are essentially business meetings. Knowledge of your product or your service is crucial to the success of the meeting, but so are your manners. Too many people jeopardize an opportunity because they fail to use good dining etiquette. Here are a few basic rules to make the experience pleasurable and profitable.

Know your duties as the host. You are in charge. It is up to you to see that things go well and that your guests are comfortable. You need to attend to every detail from extending the invitation to paying the bill.

Plan ahead when you issue the invitation. Allow a week for a business dinner and three days for lunch. Be certain that the date works for you. That might sound obvious, but if you have to cancel or postpone, you can look disorganized and disrespectful of your clients’ time.

Select a restaurant that you know, preferably one where you are known. This is no time to try out the latest hot spot. Being confident of the quality of the food and service leaves you free to focus on business.

Consider the atmosphere. Does it lend itself to conversation and discussion? If you and your clients can’t hear each other over the roar of the diners and dishes, you will have wasted your time and money.

When you make your reservation, let the staff know that you will be dining with clients. If your guests suggest a restaurant new to you (perhaps you are hosting clients out-of-town), call ahead and speak with the maitre’d. Make it clear that you will be having an important business meal and picking up the check.

Confirm the meal appointment with your clients the day before if you are meeting for breakfast or that day if you are having lunch or dinner. Things do happen and mix-ups occur.

Arrive early so you can attend to last minute details. This is the perfect time to give your credit card to the maitre’d and avoid the awkwardness that seems to accompany the arrival of the bill.

Take charge of the seating. Your guests should have the prime seats-the ones with the view. As the host, take the least desirable spot-the one facing the wall, the kitchen or the restrooms.

Beyond being polite, where you seat your guests is strategic. When you are entertaining one client, sit next to each at a right angle rather than across the table. With two clients, put one across from you and the other to your side. If you sit between them, you will look as if you are watching a match at Wimbledon as you try to follow the conversation.

Allow bán dÆ°Æ¡ng vật giả your guests to order first. You might suggest certain dishes to be helpful. By recommending specific items, you are indicating a price range. Order as many courses as your guests, no more and no less, to facilitate the flow of the meal. It is awkward if one of you orders an appetizer or dessert and the others do not.

As the host, you are the one who decides when to start discussing business. That will depend on a number of factors such as the time of day and how well you know your clients. At breakfast, time is short so get down to business quickly. At lunch, wait until you have ordered so you won’t be interrupted. Dinner, the more social occasion, is a time for rapport building. Limit the business talk and do it after the main course is completed.

When you know your clients well, you have more of a basis for small talk. However, because you have established a business friendship, you can eliminate some of the chitchat when time is an issue. When you don’t know your clients well, spend more time getting acquainted before launching your shoptalk.

Sometimes you simply need to use your own judgment about when to get down to business, realizing that if you wait too long, your clients may start to wonder why they were invited. If you begin too early in the meal, your guests might suspect that you are more interested in their money than you are in them.

Keep an eye on the time, but don’t let your guests see you checking your watch. Breakfast should typically last an hour; lunch an hour and a half. Wrap up your business dinner in two to three hours, no more.

Handle any disasters with grace. With all your attention to detail, things can still go wrong. The food may not be up to your standards, the waiter might be rude or the people at the next table boisterous and out of control. Whatever happens, make sure you are not the one to lose control. Excuse yourself to discuss any problems with the staff. Your guests will feel uncomfortable if you complain in front of or to them.

Limit the amount of alcohol you drink at the business meal. The three Martini lunch is mostly a thing of the past. However, cocktails and wine are still part of the business dinner. Since alcohol can have the same effect as truth serum, keep your consumption to one or two glasses. When guests are drinking liberally and you sense trouble, excuse yourself and discreetly ask the server to hold back on refilling the wine glasses or offering another cocktail.

Your conduct over the meal will determine your professional success. If you pay attention to the details and make every effort to see that your clients have a pleasant experience, they will assume that you will handle their business the same way. Before long you could have them eating out of your hand.