When you're planning a drive in Google Maps, the app can cover pretty much every part of the journey except parking. Well, thanks to a new partnership with SpotHero, it can now handle that, too.
SpotHero has just announced that its parking system will be coming to Google Maps users in the US and Canada, enabling you to reserve parking spots at over 8,000 locations in over 300 cities.
When you're planning a trip you'll be able to find nearby parking, and the app will then redirect you to SpotHero from inside the app. To see the option, you'll just need to type a venue's name plus 'parking' into the Google Maps search bar in the app or on desktop. You'll then see options shown as pins on the map, which you can also view by clicking 'show list'.
Once you've chosen a location with bookable parking, you can then tap 'book' or 'book online'. This takes you to a SpotHero landing page within Google Maps, where you can drill down to available dates and time slots – if you're happy with the fee, you'll be able to book it without setting up an account (thanks to a 'continue as guest' option).
Not just for last-minute parking
The parking feature isn't just for here and now: you'll be able to plan your trip and book parking in advance, too. And in addition to parking spaces the feature will also enable you to look for specific must-haves such as wheelchair accessibility, EV charging and even valet services.
This actually isn't the first time Google has teamed up with a parking provider: it did the same with ParkMobile in the past. But it's part of a wider push to make Maps more useful, and should tie in nicely with the Destination Guidance feature announced in the summer: that included "showing you nearby parking lots" close to your destination.
It's part of a bigger push for SpotHero, too: it's already partnered with Apple to bring the same features to US and Canadian users of Apple Maps.
SpotHero says that it's already serving over 10 million American and Canadian drivers, and that it's already sold more than $1.5 billion in parking reservations. If you happen to own a parking lot, SpotHero will happily consider you for inclusion in exchange for a 35% cut: there's more about that on the SpotHero website [PDF].
We asked SpotHero if it's considering an expansion outside of the US and Canada, but a spokesperson simply told us that "right now we plan to continue expanding in the US and Canada".
