3 benefits of electric car charging to hoteliers

From complimentary breakfasts to free WiFi, hotels offer many amenities to make their guests’ stay more pleasant. And EV charging will soon be the one amenity that can make or break the hotel’s success.

The popularity of electric vehicles is growing as electrification takes over the mobility sector. There are several reasons why electric cars are becoming more mainstream. Government incentives, new legislation supporting e-mobility, and the environmental benefits of electric cars, since they produce 3x less CO2 emissions than fossil fuel vehicles, are all contributing factors.

In 2021, a truly significant year for electric mobility, 6,6 million electric vehicles were sold worldwide, more than tripling their market share from two years before. Consumer demand for electric cars is growing, and various automakers are stepping up to the challenge. Many have announced plans to electrify their fleets either partially or fully over the coming decade. 

Naturally, the more EVs roaming our roads, the more electric vehicle charging points are needed to meet the demand. An extensive and accessible EV charging network is a prerequisite for the successful electrification of mobility.  

And this is where the hotel sector can step in and make a difference – for themselves, their EV driver guests and the environment. The growing demand for EV charging provides an excellent opportunity to equip your hotels with electric car charging points and reap the benefits. So, what are the three benefits you can look forward to? 

1. Meet your guests' EV destination charging expectations 

So far, EV drivers mostly charge their vehicles at home. But choosing a place to stay overnight according to the EV charging availability is becoming a norm for EV drivers. So much so that almost 60% of EV drivers globally consider EV charging either a must-have or a key-choice amenity when choosing a hotel to stay at. Your guests are becoming EV drivers who value the chance to charge their cars conveniently. 

Most online booking services have the option to solely filter establishments with EV charging stations. That makes it even easier for EV drivers to make the right choice. And with a few EV chargers on-site, your hotel can be that right choice. 

2. Introduce a new revenue stream

Besides making your loyal guests satisfied by providing them with charging for their cars, you can also attract new customers on the way. When installing EV charging points to your location, you have the option to make them public. That means that your chargers will become visible on the public EV charging map. Once visible, EV drivers who haven’t heard about your location before might now make it their destination. 

For EV drivers, charging their cars at a hotel garage overnight is the perfect deal. They get eight hours of sleep while their car gets eight hours of charging. And if the charging needs more time, EV drivers might enjoy a meal in the hotel restaurant or buy a souvenir from the souvenir shop in the lobby. All that means extra revenue for your hotel business. The longer the customer stays, the more they can enjoy all you offer. 

3. Establish your business as a sustainability leader 

Sustainability is rightfully the pressing topic of today. Consumers are becoming more environmentally conscious, and businesses everywhere are setting sustainability goals and introducing so-called ‘green initiatives’, hotels and other destinations alike. Electric vehicles are an essential part of helping the environmental crisis. And they can help your business and play a vital role in your sustainability programmes. 

Let’s take Scandic, Nordic’s biggest hotel chain and one of the leaders in sustainability in the hotel sector. When Scandic started offering EV charging in the garages of their hotels, they satisfied their guests’ charging needs and also strengthened the efforts towards meeting their sustainability goals.

Explore the possibilities with Virta

While the ‘why’ of equipping your hotels with EV charging is clear, the time comes to answer the ‘how’. 

The key to starting your EV charging operations in the right way is to find a solution that fits your needs. Since many things need to be taken care of to run an EV charging business successfully, its complexities and hidden costs can become quite a handful. That’s where a good EV charging service provider comes in. 

At Virta, we can provide you with a solution that gets you up and running in no time and helps you become an attractive destination for EV drivers.