A big chunk of the U.S. hotel industry, over the last six to seven months, has demonstrated a strong commitment to rolling out electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. The big question is: Will owners/franchisees get on board?
First, in early September, Hilton announced that it has expanded an agreement with Tesla that will result in up to 20,000 Tesla Universal Wall Connectors being installed at 2,000 hotels in the U.S., Canada and Mexico beginning this year.
Second, also in September, EV Connect announced an agreement with Marriott International to simplify EV charging for its properties and guests. With EV Connect, Marriott properties have a turnkey solution to easily add and manage EV charging stations through the EV Connect platform. This was the first agreement of this type for Marriott and ensures that participating locations can provide reliable charging infrastructure at locations within the U.S. and Canada.
Third, last month Choice Hotels International, one of the world’s largest hotel franchisors, announced an agreement with Tesla to offer Tesla Universal Wall Connectors to participating Radisson, Cambria, Comfort, Country Inn & Suites, Quality Inn, and other Choice-branded hotels across the U.S.
IHG Agreement with EnviroSpark
Finally, this past week, IHG Hotels & Resorts announced an agreement with EnviroSpark, an industry leader in the design, installation, and operation of EV charging solutions, to make EV chargers available to all IHG-branded hotels across the United States and Canada.
Together, these brands represent about 20,000 locations in North America.
I spoke with one supplier of EV charging systems recently and he told me many hoteliers are still on the fence about EV charging—not yet ready to invest to tap into what is a fast-growing travel trend. According to recent data compiled by Exploding Topics, there are currently 2,442,270 electric vehicles registered in the United States. Over one-third (36 percent) of EVs are registered in the State of California. According to Goldman Sachs Research, EVs will make up about half of new car sales worldwide by 2035.
To help accelerate the EV charging infrastructure emerging in North America, IHG is supporting hotel owners with an EV charging guide with best practices to encourage installation of EV chargers across its portfolio of more than 4,100 open hotels in the U.S. and Canada. To help travelers plan, IHG has added an EV-charger search filter on its IHG One Rewards mobile app alongside a wide set of mapping features.
It will be interesting to see what brands announce similar agreements with EV charging suppliers in the coming months.
Looking for Guest Columnists
Every two weeks Green Lodging News posts a new guest column on its website. (Click here for examples.) The guest column also appears in the weekly e-newsletter. Green Lodging News is currently in need of industry experts to contribute occasional guest columns. Experts may include consultants, architects, designers, suppliers, and those who own or operate green lodging establishments. Columns may be articles that take a stance on a particular subject or be strictly educational in nature. Columnists benefit by having their photo included along with a one paragraph description of their company. Interested in writing a column? Contact Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
Get in our Green Supplier Spotlights!
Green Lodging News, lodging’s leading environmental news source, publishes the Wednesday Green Supplier Spotlight and Thursday Green Suppliers Spotlight. Green Supplier Spotlight features just one vendor and Green Suppliers Spotlight features multiple vendors. Click here for a Green Supplier Spotlight sample and rate sheet. Click here for a Green Suppliers Spotlight sample and rate sheet. Both e-blasts have been built to generate quick leads. A report is sent a week after each e-blast that includes the number of e-mails sent, number of opens, and number of click-throughs. Contact Glenn Hasek at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com for more information.
Planning Advertising for 2024?
In addition to the Spotlight ads described above, Green Lodging News is accepting reservations for other advertising spots for 2024. Many excellent spots are available on our website and in the weekly e-mail newsletter. Interested in receiving a 2024 media kit? Be sure to contact me as soon as possible at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com. A media kit can also be accessed by clicking here. Thank you to all those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.
Newsletter & Green Supplier Spotlight Circulation
The circulation of our weekly e-newsletter and Green Supplier Spotlights currently stands at 19,622. Thank you to our new subscribers for signing up. Be sure to encourage your colleagues to do the same. There are “subscribe” links on the Green Lodging News home page. You may also e-mail greenlodgingnews@gmail.com to be added to our list.
Green Lodging News & Social Media
Green Lodging News now has 1,723 Twitter followers. Thank you to all of those who follow our tweets. In addition to following us on Twitter, be sure to bookmark the Green Lodging News Blog in your browser. More importantly, participate with your comments. Green Lodging News is also on Facebook. Be sure to “Like” us there. Green Lodging News now has more than 1,300 Facebook followers.
As always, I can be reached at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
