Dive Brief:
- Choice Hotels International has partnered with Tesla to deploy electric vehicle charging stations at select properties across its U.S. portfolio, the hotel company announced Tuesday.
- Tesla will implement Tesla Universal Wall Connectors — an electric vehicle charging port for Tesla and non-Tesla EVs — at hotels, including participating Radisson, Cambria, Comfort, Country Inn & Suites and Quality Inn properties. Though it did not disclose how many ports it’s deploying, Choice said participating properties can add four or more charging stations through the agreement.
- With the partnership, Choice will grow its existing EV charger network to help meet “the growing demand” for the eco-friendly amenity, the company said. Choice is the latest hotel player to partner with Tesla to expand its EV charging capabilities.
Dive Insight:
Through the partnership, Choice aims to help ease travelers’ “range anxiety,” the fear that one’s electric vehicle has insufficient energy storage to cover the distance they’re driving. By expanding its network, Choice will help “eliminate one of the biggest pain points for EV drivers traveling for business or leisure,” the company said.
EV charging is increasingly in demand, Choice noted, with guests at its Cambria brand, in particular, ranking EV charging as one of the top three sustainability priorities that they look for when booking a stay.
It’s especially important for Choice to build up its EV charging network given the majority of its room nights sold are from guests who drive to its hotels — and more and more drivers are hitting the road in electric vehicles.
According to Choice, guests who drove to its hotels accounted for 82% of all room nights in 2022. By expanding its EV charging capabilities, the company can potentially drive “booking consideration” as well as “incremental topline revenue for hotel owners,” Dominic Dragisich, EVP of operations and chief global brand officer for Choice, said in a statement.
Currently, 41% of Choice's Cambria hotels offer EV charging, the company noted. Every Cambria hotel is expected to get at least one charging station by the end of the year. There are roughly 60 Cambria hotels open across the country, and the brand is expanding.
The Tesla deal, paired with Choice’s other vendors like EOS Linx, could lead to having EV chargers at nearly 15% of Choice hotels across its system globally by the end of 2025, a Choice spokesperson told Hotel Dive.
In 2022, Choice tapped EOS Linx to bring charging stations to Choice properties in Atlanta and Chattanooga and Nashville, Tennessee. The company also has ports at several of its corporate offices.
Other hotel players have recently partnered with Tesla as EV charging gains traction across the industry. In September, Hilton announced it would install up to 20,000 Tesla Universal Wall Connectors at 2,000 hotels in the U.S., Canada and Mexico starting this year. And BWH Hotels similarly partnered with Tesla in December to deploy ports across its North American portfolio.
Hospitality industry professionals previously told Hotel Dive that electric vehicle charging at hotels will be a trend to watch in 2024 as hotels aim to meet sustainability goals and guests seek environmentally friendly hotel options.
Correction: A previous version of this story mischaracterized the impact of the Choice Hotels-Tesla partnership on Choice’s Cambria brand. The story has been updated.
