Excerpt from CoStar
Hoteliers Invest in Charging Stations As Electric Vehicle Adoption Grows
Viewing it as both a way to plan ahead for future demand and a way to differentiate from the competition, many hoteliers in the U.S. have electric vehicle charging stations installed at their properties.
While electric vehicles currently make up a small percentage of both the number of cars on the road and overall car sales, their popularity is forecasted to increase, especially considering the $5 billion of federal investment intended for charging-station infrastructure and ongoing concerns over gas prices.
Hoteliers who have invested in these charging stations say they’re giving travelers on the road a place to recharge both themselves and their cars.
Marriott International has more than 1,300 hotels across the U.S. with charging stations. Its Element Hotels brand has had EV charging stations as a brand standard for eight years, said Marlon Whyte, global brand leader for AC Hotels and Element by Westin Hotels. Each Element property is required to have at least two charging stations with universal and Tesla hookups.
When the brand standard came out, there were 21 Element hotels, he said. It became the standard for all future Element hotels, but the brand also required it of the existing hotels as well.
Owners were supportive of the new standard because of its innovated approach to serving guests and its minimal investment, Whyte said. Most owners have worked with charging station companies through leasing programs, and many installed the stations for free. The reception has been so positive that several owners have installed more than the two stations that are required.
A Way To Differentiate
As people drive their electric cars on trips, they can see locations that offer charging stations along their routes, Whyte said.
“When someone’s traveling along the road and they see a hotel pop up that’s on the grid, I think it’s more than likely that’s going to entice the guests to stay at that hotel,” he said.
Along with roadside locations, hotels with charging stations in urban and suburban markets will benefit as well, he said. People heading to destinations in urban city centers will know they’ll be able to charge their cars at an Element Hotel.
Many online travel agencies are including EV chargers as a filter when consumers are searching for hotels, Viglietta said. Over time, people will be able to easily find hotels with EV charging stations just as they can search for hotels with pools and hotels that allow pets. Guests driving electric vehicles will see this as a decision-making factor in future trips, he said.
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