The Parking Spot
The Parking Spot is a United States off-airport parking company serving travelers at airports through a network of branded parking facilities and shuttle services.
Last updated August 31, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
The Parking Spot is a privately held United States airport-parking company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1998 by Martin Nesbitt, it developed a dedicated off-airport parking model for air travelers who want to leave their vehicles near an airport and continue their journey by shuttle. Rather than operating primarily as an airport authority or an online marketplace, the company presents a recognizable consumer brand built around parking facilities located near major airports, customer reservations, shuttle transportation, and loyalty benefits. The company’s early backing included Penny Pritzker, a member of the Pritzker family, whose wider business interests include Hyatt. This backing helped support the development of a scaled airport-parking platform. The Parking Spot expanded beyond a single-location concept into a national network, emphasizing standardized branding and a consistent customer experience across its facilities. Its locations are generally positioned near airports rather than on airport property, allowing the business to compete on convenience and parking availability while transporting customers to and from terminals. A significant ownership transition occurred in 2011, when The Parking Spot was sold to Green Courte Partners LLC, a real estate investment group, for a reported $360 million. The transaction placed the business within an investment-oriented ownership structure while retaining The Parking Spot as the customer-facing brand. The company has continued operating as a private business rather than a publicly traded issuer. Customer retention is an important part of the brand’s operating model. The Spot Club loyalty program gives repeat customers a branded rewards relationship and had exceeded one million members by 2016. The program supports the company’s focus on frequent air travelers and customers who repeatedly use the same airports. The Parking Spot has also pursued digital distribution. In August 2019, it announced a partnership with SpotHero, a digital parking marketplace, enabling customers to book Parking Spot inventory through SpotHero’s interface. As of 2025, the company reported or was described as having more than 70 locations serving 45 airports in the United States. Its core business remains airport-adjacent vehicle parking, supported by shuttle transportation, advance booking, and loyalty services. The brand’s positioning is practical and convenience-oriented: it aims to make the airport parking portion of a journey predictable, accessible, and recognizable across multiple metropolitan markets.
History
The Parking Spot was established in 1998 by Martin Nesbitt as an off-airport parking business serving airline passengers. Its model addressed a recurring travel need: customers could drive to a parking facility near an airport, leave their vehicles for the duration of a trip, and use a company shuttle to reach the terminal. The company’s first backer was Penny Pritzker, associated with the prominent Pritzker family and its broader business interests, including Hyatt. From its founding, The Parking Spot developed as a branded network rather than as an unbranded collection of local parking lots. The use of a common name, visual identity, shuttle operation, and customer program allowed the company to present a more consistent experience to travelers using different airports. Its growth reflected the demand for parking alternatives outside airport-owned facilities, particularly where travelers sought advance reservations and extended-stay options. In 2011, Green Courte Partners LLC acquired The Parking Spot for a reported $360 million. Green Courte is a real estate investment group, making the transaction an important ownership change for the company. The Parking Spot remained a private, customer-facing operating brand after the acquisition. Publicly available reference material does not establish a subsequent change of ownership or a separate public listing. The company expanded its customer-retention infrastructure through The Spot Club. By 2016, the loyalty program had exceeded one million members, indicating a substantial base of repeat travelers and providing the company with a direct relationship with frequent users. The program complemented the physical network by encouraging customers to return to The Parking Spot when traveling through airports where the brand operated. Digital booking became another part of the company’s distribution strategy. In August 2019, The Parking Spot announced a partnership with SpotHero, a digital parking marketplace. The relationship allowed The Parking Spot’s inventory to be booked through SpotHero’s interface, extending the brand’s reach to customers searching for parking through a third-party digital platform. By 2025, The Parking Spot had more than 70 locations across 45 United States airports. Its business continued to center on airport-adjacent parking, shuttle transportation, reservations, and loyalty rewards. The available reference material does not provide a complete chronology of individual location openings, leadership succession, financial performance, or operating results. Accordingly, the documented history is strongest on the company’s founding, ownership transaction, loyalty-program growth, digital-booking partnership, and network scale.
- 2025
Network exceeds 70 locations
[1]The company was described as operating more than 70 locations serving 45 airports in the United States.
- 2019
SpotHero booking partnership announced
[1]The Parking Spot announced a partnership with SpotHero to support bookings through the digital parking marketplace.
- 2016
The Spot Club exceeds one million members
[1]The company’s loyalty program crossed the one-million-member mark.
- 2011
Acquisition by Green Courte Partners
[1]Green Courte Partners LLC acquired The Parking Spot in a transaction reported at $360 million.
- 1998
The Parking Spot is founded
[1]Martin Nesbitt founded The Parking Spot as an off-airport parking company for air travelers.
Products and positioning
A recognizable, convenience-focused off-airport parking network for air travelers, combining airport-adjacent parking facilities, terminal shuttle service, reservations, and loyalty rewards.
Off-airport parking · 1998
The Parking Spot airport parking
The company’s core offering is vehicle parking at facilities located near airports. Customers can leave cars at a branded site while traveling and use the company’s shuttle service to reach the airport terminal. The network supports both shorter stays and longer trips, with availability and booking arrangements varying by location.
Ground transportation
Airport shuttle service
Branded shuttle transportation connects The Parking Spot’s off-airport facilities with nearby airport terminals. The shuttle is an essential part of the service proposition because it links parking away from the airport property with the traveler’s departure and arrival points.
Loyalty program
The Spot Club
The Spot Club is The Parking Spot’s customer loyalty program. It is designed to support repeat use by air travelers and had grown beyond one million members by 2016. The available reference material does not specify the complete reward structure or current membership total.
Parking reservations · 2019
Online and marketplace reservations
The Parking Spot supports advance booking for its facilities and expanded digital distribution through its 2019 partnership with SpotHero. That arrangement made the company’s parking inventory available through a third-party marketplace in addition to the brand’s own customer channels.
Brand decisions
2019
Digital booking partnership with SpotHeroStrategyBackground
Travelers increasingly used digital parking marketplaces to search for and reserve parking.
Action taken
The Parking Spot announced a partnership with SpotHero so customers could book its facilities through SpotHero’s interface.
Aftermath
The partnership expanded the channels through which customers could access The Parking Spot’s inventory. The available reference material does not quantify its financial or operational impact.
2011
Sale to Green Courte PartnersM&ABackground
The Parking Spot had developed into a scaled off-airport parking network since its 1998 founding.
Action taken
The company was sold to Green Courte Partners LLC for a reported $360 million.
Aftermath
The Parking Spot continued as a private, branded airport-parking business under the ownership of the real estate investment group.
Reported transaction value. $360 million (2011)
Recent events
AirportParkingReservations.com and The Parking Spot announce distribution partnership[2]
Reported:
AirportParkingReservations.com announced an agreement to distribute The Parking Spot's available inventory through its online travel platforms, expanding parking options for travelers in the U.S. and Canada. Full integration was scheduled by the end of 2019.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/the-parking-spot · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled