Star ratings are an important customer satisfaction metric and provide valuable insight into your customers' experiences. We want star ratings to accurately reflect the experience drivers can expect when searching for and comparing parking options. We also recognize how frustrating it can be to invest in improving your facility without seeing that effort reflected in your rating.
To address this, we updated our star rating methodology in April 2026 to place greater weight on recent reviews. As a reminder, a facility’s star rating is based on a weighted average of driver ratings from the past 24 months. This update means newer driver feedback has a stronger impact, helping ratings better reflect the current customer experience!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What are driver ratings & reviews?
A: Star ratings are an important customer satisfaction metric and provide valuable insight into your customers' experiences. Drivers leaving 5-star ratings can use review tags to highlight what they loved, while lower ratings include tags for improvement, helping enhance the driver experience.
Q: How are star ratings calculated?
A: A facility’s star rating is based on a weighted average of driver ratings from the past 24 months. Recent reviews carry more weight, ensuring the rating reflects the current customer experience. Ratings update on a rolling basis as new reviews are submitted.
Q: What are the benefits of collecting driver feedback?
A: Driver feedback collected through SpotHero gives you access to insights you wouldn’t otherwise have—real, direct input from your customers. This data helps you understand how drivers perceive your facility, identify areas for improvement, uncover what keeps them coming back, and elevate your brand. By acting on this feedback, you can gain a competitive edge and increase customer retention.
Q: What is SpotHero's driver feedback collection process?
A: Once a reservation ends, SpotHero customers are asked to rate their parking experience on a scale from 1 to 5, with one star representing a very unsatisfactory and poor quality experience, and five stars representing a very satisfactory and high quality experience. Ratings and reviews can be submitted up to 30 days after the reservation ends.
Q: Does the number of reviews my facility receives within a specific time frame still impact its star rating?
A: Yes, review volume still matters, but how it influences ratings has changed. Previously, star ratings were calculated as a simple average of driver reviews from the past 3 months, and in some cases up to 24 months depending on review volume. Facilities with a high volume of reviews saw older feedback lose influence quickly, while facilities with fewer reviews continued to be affected by older ratings for a longer period.
With the updated approach, ratings use a time-decay model that gives more weight to recent reviews. This means that a surge of new reviews will quickly influence a facility’s rating. Over time, older reviews have less impact, helping ensure the rating more accurately reflects the current customer experience.
Q: How do I see my facility's driver feedback?
A: Log in to the SpotHero Control Panel and navigate to the Driver Feedback section under the Facility Information dropdown menu. There, you'll find the Star Ratings & Review Tags page, where you can explore driver-submitted ratings and review insights, as well as the Customer Reviews page, where you can read feedback about drivers' parking experiences.
Q: Does every review I’m seeing on the Customer Reviews page of the Control Panel currently influence my facility’s star rating?
A: Yes, but not all reviews impact your rating equally. Your star rating is based on a weighted average of driver ratings from the past 24 months. While the Customer Reviews page shows reviews from that same time period, more recent reviews carry greater weight to better reflect your current customer experience. As reviews age, their influence decreases exponentially. That said, older reviews are still valuable for identifying trends and understanding the overall customer experience over time.
To learn more about driver feedback, check out the following help articles: