Skift Take
Hotel groups have a chance to boost their long-term share of guests as electric vehicle (EV) adoption is poised to take off.
Choice Hotels said on Tuesday it had struck a deal with Tesla to make electric vehicle (EV) chargers available at many of its handful of premium and upscale brands.
The U.S.-based hotel group will require franchises of its upscale Cambria brand to add at least four Tesla Universal Wall Connectors for guests. It will also make the devices optionally available to franchisees of its upscale brands Radisson and Country Inn & Suites, its upper-midscale brand Comfort, and its midscale brand Quality Inn.
Choice Hotels has added a search tool on its website and app to let travelers search their list of hotels to find ones that have electric vehicle chargers.
The goal is to relieve so-called “range anxiety“: One of the biggest worries of EV owners planning long trips is whether they’ll have access to charging stations at convenient locations and times.
Other hotel companies are courting EV owners. Last September, Hilton said it would install at least six Tesla EV chargers at each of its 2,000 hotels in North America. All of Marriott’s roughly 80 Element Hotels in the U.S. have at least a couple of charging stations. Many destinations are adding EV chargers on their own.
Yet not every travel bet on EVs is working out. Rental car giant Hertz ordered 175,000 EVs in 2022 but has this month scaled back because of less-than-expected demand.
