valet service

Meaning

A premium service provided by hotels, restaurants, or airports where an employee parks and retrieves your car for you. It can also refer to laundry or dry cleaning services in high-end hotels. It is customary to tip the attendant when they return your vehicle.

Examples

• We used the hotel's valet service because street parking was impossible to find.

  We used the hotel's valet service because street parking was impossible to find.

• Is valet service complimentary for guests staying at the resort?

  Is valet service complimentary for guests staying at the resort?

• Just pull up to the front entrance and the valet service will take care of your car.

  Just pull up to the front entrance and the valet service will take care of your car.

• I left my sunglasses in the car, so I had to ask the valet service to retrieve them.

  I left my sunglasses in the car, so I had to ask the valet service to retrieve them.

• Does this restaurant offer valet service, or do we have to park ourselves?

  Does this restaurant offer valet service, or do we have to park ourselves?

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I gave my car to the valet service guy to park.

  ✓ I gave my car to the valet to park.

  Use 'valet' to refer to the person, and 'valet service' to refer to the overall parking system or service offered.

• ✗ How much is the valet parking service cost?

  ✓ How much does the valet service cost?

  'Valet parking service cost' is redundant. Use either 'valet service' or 'valet parking'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• Instead of searching for a parking spot downtown, we just used the restaurant's ___.

  💡 A service where someone parks your car for you.

  Show answer

  valet service

• The hotel offers a 24-hour ___ for guests who arrive late at night with heavy luggage.

  💡 Professional parking or handling service.

  Show answer

  valet service