Holiday parking hell at King of Prussia mall? There’s now an app for that

Folks who plan to do some shopping at King of Prussia mall this holiday season know that it’s easy to spend as much time looking for parking as you’ll spend picking out gifts.

But Miami-based MyPark, an express parking services company, announced it recently set up shop at KOP and hopes to ease some of the stress by providing reservable parking spots.

Users can download the app to their phones, and reserve one of five express parking spots, which are in the second level of the Orange Parking Deck, near stores like Louis Vuitton and Cartier. Spots are free to use for 30 minutes, then the service charges $3 for every hour after.

“MyPark’s mission is to improve customers’ overall shopping experience by giving them control over their parking,” said Luis Mayendia, CEO of MyPark. “Launching at King of Prussia is a pivotal moment for our company, proving that our service and technology is an ideal fit for one of the nation’s busiest malls.”

Users reserve which spot they’d like in the app, and when they arrive in the parking garage, they tap “Let Me In” on their device and the MyPark reservation device will lower to give them access.

King of Prussia Mall is one of the country’s largest malls, second only to Mall of America, and its various parking lots currently offer 12,500 parking spaces, said Kathy Smith, the mall’s director of marketing. KOP offers complimentary valet parking Monday through Thursday, and charges $7 Friday through Sunday in the Orange Parking Deck by the expansion corridor.

That parking deck also uses space-location technology on four levels so that customers can tell where available spaces are before entering.

The service officially started at the end of October. The mall will initially devote five spots to it and see if they’re in high-enough demand to add more in the future, Smith said.

“While King of Prussia expands to provide new retail and dining options and amenities for our customers, it is important that we continue to provide convenience and easy access, as well,” she said. “With MyPark, shoppers can anticipate convenient, affordable parking choices and ease of access just in time for their holiday shopping.