Working across residential, commercial, workplace and precinct-scale assets for more than 16 years, Angelique Mentis, Founder and CEO of Parking Spotz, has seen one truth repeated over and over. Parking is not just a utility. It is an amenity, a customer experience touchpoint, and an operational lever that directly influences asset value.
As buildings become more complex and expectations rise, parking has shifted from a hidden, functional space underground to a critical part of how a building performs, feels and operates.
Smart parking: why the best buildings start with user experience
The first experience of a building begins the moment someone enters the car park. That initial interaction sets the tone for everything that follows.
When parking access is intuitive, automated, fair and connected, the rest of the journey feels smoother. When it is confusing, constrained or outdated, friction begins immediately.
In modern buildings, parking is no longer a static design decision. It plays an increasingly important role in:
- Tenant and visitor experience
- Operational efficiency for building and facilities managers
- Long-term asset value and adaptability
- ESG performance and emissions reduction
Despite this, parking remains one of the least optimised and least digitally connected parts of most developments.
Why smart parking matters now
Parking has traditionally been treated as a fixed, once-off decision: allocate bays, install signage and assume people will follow the rules.
But buildings do not operate that way. People arrive at different times, work patterns change, visitor demand fluctuates, and electric vehicle charging introduces new access requirements. Users increasingly expect fairness, clarity and certainty — and their time is precious.
Smart parking enables parking to work dynamically rather than passively. It allows access to be adjusted in real time, permissions to be enforced automatically, and visibility to be shared across stakeholders.
Planning for smart parking early allows buildings to future-proof their basements, adapting over time through software and configuration rather than costly physical retrofits.
Designing for the digital basement
Most smart parking systems aren’t designed for the digital deserts of basements. Parking Spotz was engineered specifically to solve this.
Basements present unique challenges: unreliable mobile reception, difficult connectivity and high costs associated with hardwiring infrastructure. Many systems struggle once they leave above-ground environments.
Parking Spotz addresses this by designing smart parking from the ground up for underground conditions, combining physical infrastructure with a purpose-built digital platform.
“Parking Spotz solves parking. Creating better living and working environments through smart automation, seamless access, and real-time visibility,” says Mentis, also former President of Parking Australia.
Key elements of the system include:
- Smart bollards that physically secure individual parking spaces and control access at the bay level
- Automated booking and permission management for residents, staff and visitors
- A driver-facing mobile experience for seamless access and guidance
- An admin portal providing real-time visibility into parking activity
- A wireless underground communications backbone that operates without Wi-Fi, mobile reception or hardwired power
This architecture creates an end-to-end smart parking ecosystem that works reliably underground and is compliant with building codes, without requiring expensive or disruptive infrastructure upgrades.
The approach is suited to both new developments and retrofits, enabling automated, optimised and connected parking from day one.
The future is connected, efficient and data-driven
Put simply, smart parking helps buildings operate the way they were always intended to — seamlessly, fairly, efficiently and resiliently.
Parking Spotz data shows that when parking systems are connected and automated, building operators gain clearer insight into how parking is actually used, not just how it was designed to be used. This enables better decision-making, stronger compliance and improved utilisation of existing parking supply.
For users, it delivers clarity and fairness. For operators, it reduces manual intervention. For assets, it unlocks the digital potential of the basement.
Great buildings treat parking as part of the customer journey, not an afterthought. With automation, real-time visibility and inclusive access design, smart parking supports smoother operations, happier tenants and stronger asset performance — all starting underground.
Learn more
To see how smart parking can help optimise building performance across residential, commercial and mixed-use developments, visit www.parkingspotz.com