I tried £200 shopping center parking and valet and my jaw dropped

One of the UK’s busiest shopping centers launched a brand new premium parking service this week – and I was one of the first to park there, just ahead of a busy weekend Christmas shopping.

This chic upscale car park not only has new surfaces, but also expanded spaces, suitable for “high-end buyers” with larger luxury cars. A range of “luxury” valet services are also offered, presumably meeting the expectations of those with large wallets to flaunt.

For those who choose to simply park their vehicle, costs start at £4 per hour on weekdays, or £7 for weekend slots, although a maximum stay of 12 hours is capped at £14 on weekdays and at £21 Saturday and Sunday.

Big spenders can treat themselves even more with the “Premium” offer, which includes a car cleaning service while they shop. It costs £96 for a ‘luxury valet’ cleaning, or a truly staggering £217 for the ‘ultra valet’ cleaning which gives you all the work (and includes your parking costs).

As I walked into the Trafford Centre, in Manchester’s new gated Upper Peel 5, on launch day, I could certainly understand why some people would be tempted to part with cash.

Yes, we have all become accustomed to free parking at the Trafford Center over the last two decades, with its 11,000 spaces. However, the new project offers a prime location right next to one of the main entrances to the shopping center, close to high-end department store Selfridges.

More importantly, it saves you from endless circling looking for a space. It’s about deciding whether your time is more valuable than the money in your pocket.

There are now 200 parking spaces available to book online, or you can gamble and arrive the same day, collect a ticket at the barrier and pay at the machines inside before leaving.

Opening day was a Wednesday and it was pretty quiet, so I had my choice of the brand new, big red spaces. Naturally, I parked as close to the entrance as possible.

Once out, I was greeted by the H20 team, the valet team, who now manage this Premium Parking area. I didn’t know it, but they had booked me to try out one of the valet services.

If I had known, I might have made an effort to put away my mother’s old beat-up Honda Jazz that I borrowed recently.

With two young children, the back seats of my car became a chaotic mix of schoolwork, Bear Yo Yo cards, and an assortment of Mr. Kipling cake crumbs.

However, on the day the car park opened, the owner of H20 asked me for my keys to give me the full Premium experience. When I asked what they would do to my car, he revealed that it would go through the ‘Ultra Luxe’ valet service, at a whopping cost of £217.

My jaw hit the floor as I tried to understand what could justify this price. One friend even said, “I’d expect a completely new car for that.”

But true to their word, they transformed my dusty Honda into a shiny vision of shiny black metal unrecognizable from the one I left behind for a shopping trip to the mall.

They didn’t just hose down the exterior; they applied an ultra high definition wax so reflective I could see my own reflection.

Inside, every fabric surface was meticulously shampooed and they even cleaned the engine, which is quite a feat considering I never opened the hood.

The interior was spotless, the cleanest it had ever been, reminiscent of the transformations you’d expect to see on a Stacey Solomon TV makeover show.

Don’t get me wrong: the whole experience was phenomenal and I couldn’t be more grateful for the service I received. But, of course, I personally couldn’t justify regularly spending £217 on a car wash, even one as thorough as this. But I don’t think the high-end valets here necessarily cater to Honda Jazz drivers like me.

When I got home, the seats were still damp (they had provided plastic covers for the front seats to avoid getting my butt wet during the journey), I noticed that condensation was now forming inside windows.

For those who own “luxury vehicles” that have a heated, comfortable garage to park in (and heated seats), I’m sure this won’t be a problem. But for someone like me, who parks his car on a freezing street overnight, it meant waking up to a rather unusual situation of having to scrape ice off the INSIDE of my windows as well as the outside.

The “ultra valet” lifestyle is probably not for me. At least not until I can trade in my Honda for my own Rolls Royce like the one parked next to me when I arrived.

However, the Premium Parking package might just lure me back. Especially if I have to visit the Trafford Center during the busy days leading up to Christmas.

Even at the weekend rate of £7 for an hour, it might be worth it, if it means avoiding the nerve-wracking rush for a parking space at peak times.