Sean Glavin and Morgan Hurley, HAH Parking
Sean Glavin and Morgan Hurley from HAH Parking discuss how advances in technology, dynamic pricing, and modern operations are transforming parking from a cost center into a significant revenue driver for developers and property owners. They argue that traditional parking underwriting is outdated and that properties can achieve 30-300% revenue increases through optimized pricing strategies and digital payment systems.
Summary
Mark Settitelli interviews Sean Glavin (CTO) and Morgan Hurley (Chief Remedy Officer) from HAH Parking about reimagining parking as a profit center rather than a necessary expense. HAH Parking provides technology solutions including text-to-pay and QR code systems without requiring upfront hardware costs or long-term contracts, handling payments, pricing, validation, enforcement, and reporting through a cloud-based platform.
The hosts explain that traditional parking management relied on gates, kiosks, and attendants—infrastructure with high maintenance costs and revenue loss when systems fail. Their approach removes these barriers through mobile-first technology, making the customer experience frictionless. A key insight is that a completely full parking lot actually represents revenue failure, as it prevents the sale of additional passes. Instead, dynamic pricing should keep occupancy at an optimal level (typically 85-90%) where prices adjust based on demand.
They present case studies showing dramatic revenue uplifts. One 152-space lot increased from $800,000 to $2.2 million in annual revenue through their system. Revenue increases of 30-40% are typical, with some cases reaching triple-digit returns. These gains come from three-tiered pricing: a base market-rate price, scheduled surges during peak times (weekends, holidays), and real-time dynamic pricing as lots fill up.
When evaluating parking assets, developers should examine current monetization status, transaction volumes, average revenue per transaction, existing systems, enforcement mechanisms, and pricing strategies. For unmonetized lots, location factors matter significantly: core urban areas with high walkability, restaurants, bars, and boutique retail are ideal. Strip malls and big-box retail locations typically don't work well due to oversupply and enforcement challenges.
The speakers address concerns about fare evasion in gating-free systems through license plate recognition (LPR) cameras, partnerships with tow companies, and enforcement firms. Technology solutions vary by state regulations, but the benefit of digital enforcement is that zero gates means zero revenue stoppage from mechanical failure.
Looking forward, they anticipate AI and autonomous vehicles reshaping parking. Wireless charging pads in parking lots could provide value to EV fleets, generating revenue while ensuring 100% compliance. They recommend developers use HAH Parking's revenue calculator to model potential income increases for specific properties.
About this episode
Parking is often treated as a fixed cost, not a source of value. In this episode, Sean Glavin, chief technology officer, and Morgan Hurley, chief revenue officer at HAH Parking, make the case that dynamic pricing, technology and smarter underwriting can turn parking into a meaningful revenue driver for developers and owners, with case studies showing gains from 30% to well over 100% for well-positioned properties. Recorded on Sept. 9, 2026.
Key Insights
- HAH Parking claims that a parking lot reaching 100% occupancy actually represents a revenue failure because no additional passes can be sold until spaces open up, making optimal occupancy around 85-90% more profitable.
- The speakers argue that traditional parking underwriting assumes fixed revenue when in reality dynamic pricing can generate 30-300% revenue increases depending on location and current pricing models.
- Morgan Hurley states that a 152-space parking lot increased revenue from $800,000 to $2.2 million annually by implementing their system with three-tiered pricing: base rates, scheduled surges, and dynamic pricing.
- Sean Glavin claims that parking lots with gates and kiosks have significant maintenance costs and suffer complete revenue loss when systems malfunction, whereas cloud-based systems maintain 99%+ uptime.
- The speakers argue that most parking revenue is left on the table because developers view parking as a fixed cost rather than a business with revenue potential, leading to inadequate pricing strategies in pro formas.
- Glavin and Hurley contend that location characteristics (walkability score, nearby restaurants and bars, urban infill) are more predictive of monetized parking success than occupancy rates.
- Sean Glavin predicts that wireless charging pads installed in parking lots could create value for autonomous electric vehicle fleets, generating passive revenue while ensuring 100% compliance.
- Morgan Hurley argues that removing friction from the parking payment experience (through mobile payment reminders and easy digital transactions) increases compliance rates better than enforcement-first approaches.
Topics
Transcript
Hi, everyone. I'm Mark Settitelli, podcast host and president and CEO at the Commercial Real Estate Development Association. You're listening to our podcast, Inside CRE, featuring interviews with commercial real estate leaders who share industry and career insights. The Commercial Real Estate Development Association is the development industry's leading source for education, advocacy, and connections that drive your business forward. Inside CRE is brought to you by Majestic Realty. When developers evaluate a project, parking is usually viewed as a cost of doing business, a requirement to support the building, not a meaningful source of value. But what if I were to tell you that assumption is outdated? Today, we're joined by Sean Glavin, Chief Technology Officer, and Morgan Hurley,…
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