Visitor parking
Visitor parking management for commercial buildings
Visitor parking management controls a small number of bays that everyone wants: who can arrange parking for a guest, for how long, and how the gate knows to let them in. In ParkEase, guest permissions are one of the configurable rule types, bookings are matched to the number plate on arrival, and a vehicle without a valid booking raises an alert.
Why visitor bays go wrong
- Visitor bays are the first to be taken by staff who could not find a space.
- Reception or security becomes the booking desk, by phone.
- A visitor arrives at a closed gate and nobody at the gate knows they are expected.
- A visitor who was booked for an hour is still there at five o'clock.
Ways to run visitor parking
| Approach | How it works | Where it falls short |
|---|---|---|
| Call security | The host phones ahead and the guard opens the gate | Depends on someone answering, and leaves no record |
| Paper permits | The visitor displays a pass on the dashboard | Passes are reused, and someone has to walk the car park |
| Pre-registered plates | The host books the visitor's plate, and the gate recognises it | Needs the plate in advance |
| Paid parking | The visitor pays for a bay | Needs payment handling and suits public-facing sites |
What a visitor process has to decide
- Who may arrange parking for a guest: every employee, or named people in each tenant?
- How many visitor bays each tenant can use at once.
- How far ahead a visitor booking can be made, and how long it can run.
- What happens when the visitor overstays.
- Whether any visitor parking is charged for.
How ParkEase handles visitors
- Guest permissions are one of the 13 configurable rule types, alongside booking limits, future booking windows and grace periods.
- ANPR cameras read the plate on arrival and match it to the booking.
- Bookings and plate recognition can connect to boom gates and barriers through access control integration, including Gallagher.
- A vehicle without a valid booking, or one that breaches a rule, triggers an alert with a photo.
- For sites that charge, card payments are taken through Stripe and linked to the booking, and administrators can make complimentary bookings.
- VIP and valet bookings are supported, with capacity protection.
What to settle before you start
- Decide how the visitor's plate gets into the system. If hosts will not know it in advance, you need a fallback at the gate.
- Cameras need a clear view of plates at every entry and exit.
- Number plates have to be collected and kept current. The system is only as good as its plate list, which is why tenants manage their own.
- Tell people. Plate recognition belongs in your car park signage, building rules and privacy notice.
Common questions
What is a visitor parking management system?
It is a system for allocating and controlling the bays set aside for guests: who can book them, for how long, and how the visitor gets in. Modern systems pre-register the visitor's number plate so the gate recognises the vehicle on arrival.
How do visitors get through the gate?
With plate recognition, the visitor's number plate is linked to a booking. Cameras read the plate on arrival and the system matches it to the booking. ParkEase can connect this to boom gates and barriers through access control integration.
How do you stop staff using visitor bays?
Make visitor bays bookable only under guest permission rules, and check every vehicle against a booking. In ParkEase, a vehicle parked without a valid booking triggers an alert with a photo.
Can we charge for visitor parking?
Yes, where your site offers paid parking. ParkEase takes card payments through Stripe and links the payment to the booking. Administrators can also create complimentary bookings.
Can tenants control who invites visitors?
ParkEase's rules engine includes guest permissions, and tenant administrators manage their own users. Together those let each tenant decide who can arrange guest parking within the limits the property sets.
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