Ask Client Success Manager Alexander Burnes what he does at Ocra, and he’ll tell you that all of his work boils down to one essential thing:

Helping Ocra’s partners squeeze maximum value out of an often deprioritized, misunderstood asset – parking.

“Parking gets a bad rap,” Alex likes to say. “It’s not seen as the ‘sexiest’ part of the business. But once people see the numbers, it’s a real ‘a-ha’ moment.”

“Hotels know that they have spaces they’re not using for guests and staff. A lightbulb clicks on once they see how those empty spaces can turn a big profit.”

Inside Alex’s Role at Ocra

At Ocra, Alex leads client conversations, translates reports into trends, and helps partners understand how much revenue is flowing through third-party customer demand channels.

For many of the hotels he works with, parking is fundamentally underutilized.

Some of his clients have 300–400 parking spaces for 150 rooms, and they simply don’t need all of that parking for their overnight guests. 

And in cases where the space-to-room ratio is tighter – for example, a 100 room hotel with 120 spaces  – shifting travel patterns and unpredictable occupancy create opportunities that he helps Ocra’s partners prepare for and profit on.

Along with Ocra’s revenue optimization team, Alex is a key part of the engine that:

• Flags opportunities to increase inventory and adjust rates
• Analyzes revenue generated from non-guest parkers using third-party channels to book parking near hotspots like airports and event venues
• Identifies market trends and patterns that influence performance so that Ocra’s partners can understand their impact on revenue
• Optimizes listings to drive higher occupancy and higher average daily rates

In a tougher economic environment – where travel is down in some markets and room revenue is soft – Alex sees parking as one of the most reliable ways to stabilize and improve a hotel’s bottom line.

“Parking isn’t just a line item on a hotel’s P&L,” says Alex. “By driving traffic, literally, from customers who aren’t staying overnight, we increase NOI in a tangible way and make our partners’ assets more stable.”

Reframing Parking As A Profit Engine

In interfacing directly with Ocra’s partners, Alex observes an exciting mindset shift: hotels are starting to reframe their parking lot as a profit center.

Previously largely viewed as a guest amenity, parking is emerging as a meaningful revenue stream.

It’s possible, hotels realize, to stay laser-focused on the guest experience and prioritize room revenue while unlocking parking as a high-yield asset. All they need is the right partner. 

“I’ve seen some hotels do creative things with on-property amenities,” Alex says. “For example, one of our partners has a cafe in the lobby where people parking for the airport can grab a latte before getting on the shuttle.”

“It’s more foot traffic, more touchpoints, more chances to deliver great service. And that tends to show up in reviews, too.” 

In order words: the hotel isn’t just selling a place to leave a car within convenient distance from the airport; it’s using parking as a conduit for another revenue stream.

Parking becomes the front door to other parts of the business.

Alex explains: “Hotels tend to have a 360-degree customer view when it comes to adopting tech. They understand that the customer journey is made up of one hundred little touch points.”

“They also understand that there are tools out there that can help them make sure those touch points are delightful for guests, not frustrating. So they definitely see the opportunity in adopting tech for parking.”

Qualities In A Powerful Partnership 

When asked what successful partners have in common, Alex has a rapid-fire answer:

The partners who see the strongest results are the ones who are most engaged. They offer insights that help Alex see their world more clearly.

He strives to cultivate an environment of trust and transparency where the hotel partner will share occupancy expectations and forecasts – especially heading into holidays or around events, such as conventions and conferences.

For hotels near airports, event venues, and convention centers, this info makes all the difference in terms of effectively managing inventory and pricing intelligently.

Alex works with the point of contact and on-the-ground teams to determine how much parking to reserve for guests and attendees while selling remaining inventory at premium rates.

Rather than defaulting to “we’re busy in December, so just turn it all off”, Alex helps partners see the bigger picture and keep revenue flowing through third-party demand channels while still protecting the guest experience.

Alex is quick to connect his approach with Ocra’s culture. He treats weekly meetings and business reviews as working sessions, rather than one-sided updates. 

“There’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ playbook,” Alex notes. “It’s not helpful to work within a partner’s constraints. Instead, we ask questions, understand their view, and propose realistic solutions.”

He continues: “That means knowing where we’re starting, what the possibilities are, and what needs to happen in order to get results.”

For a hotel, oscillating demand patterns, evolving guest expectations, and a constant influx of uncontrollable market events compound the pressure of needing to do more with less.

In the realm of parking revenue, Alex and his team alleviate this stress and ensure that parking is a high-performing channel, no matter what.

Lightning Round: Meet Alex Outside of Work

If Alex would win a lifetime supply of anything, he’d pick trips: airline vouchers, vacation packages, and hotel stays in new and exciting locations.

If he were to start his dream small business, it’s be a Lego café where people can camp out with a good coffee and play architect at a table as a solitary activity or with friends.

If he had the chance to teleport anywhere for lunch today, he’s zooming towards a classic Thai joint for green chicken curry and crispy spring rolls.

And if he could live inside a board game, it’d hands-down be Ticket to Ride – fitting for someone bitten by the travel bug! For video games, Skyrim and Ghost of Tsushima currently sit at the top of his list.

Final fun fact about Alex:

At Ocra, he’s the mind behind the much-loved “Question of the Week” in Thursday’s stand-up meeting, where he puts his teammates on the spot with clever prompts that spark debates – and good-natured chaos on Slack. 

The “window up or window down on on airplane?” will go down in company history!

Want to get to know Alex better? Connect on LinkedIn, or email him at alex@getocra.com.

Ready to learn how Ocra can help you increase NOI through smarter revenue management of your parking assets? Email info@getocra.com.