There's been some recent reporting on the difficulties owners of electric vehicles face when it comes to charging stations, the various ports that apply and the lack of standardization, including from my CoStar News colleague Andy Peters.
This dovetails well with Hilton's recent announcement that the company will add EV charging stations at 2,000 hotels through a partnership with Tesla. That commitment will add 20,000 Tesla universal wall connectors starting in 2024.
As an owner of an EV myself, I can see every day how frustratingly fragmented and just not consumer-friendly the current network of charging is. This can be annoying especially as the federal government is looking to do things to spur EV adoption.
Now as a regular commuter vehicle, most of my charging needs can be met at home. But when I think of things such as planning short trips, particularly trips to visit my family in another state, the availability of EV charging at a hotel is a key determining factor on what hotel I can and will stay at. As time goes on, this will only grow more relevant for hoteliers.
The Hilton news is also important and interesting because too often at hotels that offer EV charging, it amounts to just a couple of parking spots with charging — and often they're already occupied or simply don't work. Becoming the hotel that I can reliably charge at without worrying about being let down or crowded out is definitely a game changer and commands a higher level of guest loyalty from those in need along with potential for rate premiums.
As EV adoption continues to grow, this will only become more relevant to hoteliers, including those who are resistant to dealing with the cost of installation and upkeep for chargers. It might seem like just one small thing in terms of the grand sweep of available amenities at hotels, but it can amount to the difference between an ideal stay and being stranded on the side of the road for a certain segment of travels.
So while it's not necessarily positioned as an ROI project, it's not hard to connect the dots to see why EV charging will pay dividends even in the short term.
Let me know what you think on Twitter, LinkedIn or via email.
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