How the Children’s Museum of Manhattan designed the first stroller valet system

The Children’s Museum of Manhattan is turning the Upper East Side into a parade of tiny stroller wheels. To keep the fun rolling smoothly, CMoM partnered with Chexology to create the world’s first digital stroller valet. This paperless, text-based system turns one of the museum’s biggest logistical challenges into a seamless, smile-worthy experience for parents, staff, and tiny passengers alike.

It’s a sunny afternoon on the Upper East Side. A mother pushes a stroller down the block. A waiter wipes down a patio table. The doorman holds the door for a nanny and her stroller. A florist wraps a bouquet in newspaper outside the Amsterdam Cafe. A double-wide stroller appears from around the corner. Then another. One’s covered in goldfish crackers. One’s playing Baby Shark at full volume. They seem to materialize from 83rd Street! Where are all of these strollers coming from?

The Children’s Museum of Manhattan, of course, where strollers outnumber the adults, and somehow, that’s exactly how it should be. 

“I’ve seen every stroller imaginable,” says Jonathan Jeter, CMoM’s Visitor Experience Manager. “Almost every visitor to the children’s museum arrives with a stroller, so we developed a totally unique stroller valet system that I don’t think anyone’s ever seen before.” 

Before Chexology, stroller check-in at the museum was a logistical high-wire act. Staff juggled paper tickets, Sharpies, and a sea of look-alike strollers, all while trying to keep both parents and the children inside them happy. 

“When you have little visitors who can just burst into tears at a moment's notice, wait times matter,” says Jonathan. “We partnered with Chexology’s digital valet system to help us design a coat and stroller checkroom that was faster for our visitors.”

Museum leaders needed a system that could:

• Speed up stroller check-ins and retrievals

• Prevent lost tickets and mismatched strollers

• Relieve lobby congestion during peak hours

• Provide real-time data on volume and staffing visibility

In short, they wanted to modernize stroller management the same way CMoM modernizes children’s education, with innovation and imagination.

Enter Chexology

Chexology stepped in to build the museum’s first digital stroller valet system - a paperless, photo-verified texting solution designed specifically for high-traffic family attractions like the CMoM. Instead of juggling paper tags, staff now use an iPad to snap a quick photo of each stroller and text parents a digital claim ticket. Parents can drop off and pick up coats, bags, and strollers by simply saying the last four digits of their phone number. This means no fumbling for paper tickets, no confusion, and no spilled Cheerios. 

“It’s been a game-changer,” says CMoM’s Director of Strategic Communications, Branding, & Marketing, Ariel Handelman. “We used to have a congested lobby of strollers in the afternoons, but now we can move families through without anyone waiting in line. Our lobby feels calm, even on the busiest days!”

The unique solution to the Children’s Museum of Manhattan’s stroller challenge sparked a lightbulb moment for Chexology’s Founder and CEO, Derek Pacque.

“All of the large museums in New York already use Chexology for their high-volume coatrooms,” says Chexology Founder and CEO Derek Pacqué. “So we knew we could handle CMoM’s traffic, but designing a system for strollers was new territory for us. Then it hit me: strollers are just adorable little cars! So why not use the same ticketless valet system we use in our hotels?”

The next day, Pacqué arrived at CMoM with a roll of parking lot tape in hand. “We literally mapped out stroller-sized parking spots on the floor and started testing our valet workflow,” he laughs. “The moment we saw it in action, we all knew we were onto something special. Something that could make parents smile and staff breathe a bit easier.”

Chexology didn’t just make the process faster; it made it smarter. Each CMoM transaction is logged in real time, giving museum administration insights into stroller volume by hour, day, and event. Those analytics now help inform staff scheduling, enabling the museum to run more efficiently and support grant reporting.  

Museum visitors love Chexology.

• They receive instant text confirmation and peace of mind

• They no longer worry about losing paper tickets

• They have photo security of their personal items 

• The visitor experience feels modern, fast, and trustworthy

CMoM Staff love Chexology.

• Check-ins take seconds, not minutes

• Photos eliminate confusion and human error

• Analytics reveal peak stroller times for smarter staffing

• Eliminating paper tickets improves sustainability

• Fewer children shed tears during checkout

When does CMoM move to its new location? 

The success at CMoM is already inspiring the museum’s next chapter. When the institution moves to its new home in 2028, Chexology will scale the digital valet side to include a multi-level stroller parking hub, complete with small automated lifts. Yes, stroller elevators, to accommodate even more families.

“It's a beautiful old church on 96th in Central Park West,” says Ariel. “It will provide us with about 80,000 square feet of space where we're going to be building what we like to refer to as a ‘cathedral for children.’”

“The exciting part of this, with our amazing partnership with Chexology, is that we're looking to expand and take advantage of our elevators to create an even more high-tech program for stroller parking, and offer more options for how we deliver our strollers and work with our visitors.”

How does Chexology’s digital stroller check actually work?

Chexology’s digital valet system transformed CMoM’s stroller experience from paper to pixels.

Instead of handing out claim tickets, the museum’s staff now uses Chexology’s iPad app to snap a quick photo of the stroller and send a friendly text confirmation directly to the parent. That message becomes their digital claim ticket, no apps to download, no paper to lose. 

When it’s time to leave, parents simply show the text at pickup. Staff instantly see the stroller photo and match it with the correct family.

It’s paperless, contactless, and 100% parent-approved. Even if a visitor's phone dies, they can still retrieve their belongings by sharing the last four digits of their phone number.

And museum leadership? They finally have real-time data and insights that help improve visitor flow and forecast future needs, something no clipboard could ever do.

Why does Chexology’s digital coat check system matter so much for museums?

Museums like CMoM are more than exhibits; they’re community centers built to provide everyone with a safe space to learn and inspire. And in the age of digital expectations, even the simplest operational systems, like coat or stroller check, are part of that experience. It’s the first and last touch point for a museum. 

• Speed and line reduction - Guests expect fast, frictionless entry

• Lobby flow and crowd management – Especially for family-heavy venues

• Storage optimization - Every square foot matters

• Operational insights - Investors want data, not guesswork

• Sustainability - Going paperless fits the museum’s green mission

By replacing paper tickets with a digital system, Chexology hits all five goals: cutting wait times, improving guest satisfaction, increasing efficiency, and aligning with eco-friendly initiatives.

What makes CMoM’s kiddy valet system truly one of a kind?

Chexology didn’t just install software; it custom-engineered a solution for CMoM’s unique flow.

The system includes:

• Dedicated stroller drop-off zones designed for families

• An iPad-controlled conveyor coat rack 

• Integrated SMS confirmations for each check-in

• Reusable NFC embedded tags to track inventory

• Admin dashboard to view team data

It’s a first-of-its-kind “digital valet” experience that blends hospitality precision with kid-friendly warmth.

“It’s a pretty cool system,” said one CMoM stroller checker. “Parents love that we text them when their stroller is safely parked; it sets the tone for their whole visit.”

As families stream back out onto 83rd Street, the stroller parade rolls on - goldfish crumbs, sippy cups, and all. Behind every tiny wheel is a parent who didn’t have to dig for their little paper ticket or deal with one more toddler meltdown. The Upper East Side still hums with stroller traffic, but thanks to Chexology’s digital valet built for the modern family, the only thing parents have to check is their stress.

Ready to modernize your museum?

Chexology partners with museums of all shapes and sizes to deliver world-class coat check systems. From remodels and expansions to retrofitting modern amenities into existing historical spaces, Chexology has the experience to do it like no other. 

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