When traveling, do you bother with trying to find hotels with EV charging? Can you depend on them?

[KzooMYP]

When picking a hotel, how many of you factor EVSE charging into the decision?

Wife and I could plan our trip so that we arrive at the hotel with enough battery to make it to the next Supercharger on the following day. But we would prefer to leave the hotel with a preconditioned car with 100% battery.

I notice some hotels have really thoughtful EVSE implementations - multiple ChargePoint CT4000 stations spread across multiple levels of a parking garage. This is fantastic because the chances of every location being ICED is reduced, and they have enough stations to support 10-12 EV’s. Other hotels went with basic implementations - 2-3 chargers split between Tesla destination chargers and something like a ClipperCreek.

PlugShare gives the impression that many people (majority, even) find the spots to be ICED, already taken by another EV, limited to valet parking, or not-functioning. It seems like a gamble to build a road trip that depends on a hotel EVSE charger working. I thought I would ask; what works best for everyone here?

 

[KJD]

I really wish that some hotel chain would say we are going to provide charging at ALL of our locations. I think they would have a loyal following if they did. Sad to say no hotels are that forward thinking.

When I got my first Tesla I tried to stay at hotels with charging, but found it to be time consuming and often led to disappointment for one reason or another. Now I plan my trips around the best supercharging route and then try and find a hotel near to the last supercharger of the day. Seems to work out a lot better that way.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

I suggest not to depend on them. But you can take them into account.

For example, we've stayed at a hotel in White River Junction, VT where there is a pair of pay chargers at the hotel/at a neighboring hotel. But there are also fast chargers nearby as backup.

Both times the hotels weren't busy and the chargers were available so I was able to get a convenient and cheap charge.

But those were paid public chargers. If it's a specific charger for hotel guests you can try calling the hotel to see if they'll block off the charger for you. Hotels that understand charging may do that for you.

 

[KzooMYP]

So true. Especially with some of the brands trying so hard to appear environmentally friendly (e.g. Westin or Element). Often this means they install low-flow shower heads and offer the ability to skip house keeping. Meanwhile, the rooftops could be outfitted with solar panels, and the parking garages could be outfitted with a brand-standard minimum (e.g. every Westin will have a minimum of (2) ChargePoint CT4000 series (or equivalent) stations).

Marriott is nice enough to have a dedicate website with a list of all their hotels with EV charging. Hilton and Airbnb has a filter for EV charging.

I bet (1) brand will get onboard with this by 2025. Until then….is it even worth it to design a road trip around a hotel offering EV charging?

I really wish that some hotel chain would say we are going to provide charging at ALL of our locations. I think they would have a loyal following if they did. Sad to say no hotels are that forward thinking.

When I got my first Tesla I tried to stay at hotels with charging, but found it to be time consuming and often led to disappointment for one reason or another. Now I plan my trips around the best supercharging route and then try and find a hotel near to the last supercharger of the day. Seems to work out a lot better that way.

 

[EVRider-FL]

No, I wouldn’t depend on chargers at hotels. In my experience, if the hotel has them, it’s only one or two, so you can’t assume they’ll be available.

 

[RTPEV]

100% I search for hotels with charging. I consider it a major benefit of traveling to be able to start the day with 100% charge.

That said, I don't necessarily depend on them. I always make sure there is a backup plan in place, because as others have said, you can't count on them being available.

I do research pretty extensively though. I check Plugshare entries, and when it's more than just a mere convenience, I also call the hotel and confirm that the chargers are available and ask them if they could block one off for me (the good ones will do this).

In particular, I'd like to give a shout out to: the Town Place Suites by Marriott in Frederick, MD (they have appropriately sited their stations in the rear of the hotel and I never had a problem with them, although my son now lives in that area so I haven't been there in a few years; the Hampton Inn & Suites in Olean, NY (again, they put their charging stations at the rear of the hotel where ICEing should not be a concern, and they actually charge for the charging, which I consider a benefit because it discourages people from getting a charge when they don't need it); and an honorable mention to Holiday Inn Express in Olean, NY who is knowledgeable of their charging stations and offers to cone them off, although they are unfortunately located right in front of the hotel and are frequently ICEd if not blocked off.

Hilton properties in particular seem to be taking an active role in rolling out charging stations. I think they are starting to get the message that having reliable on site charging is almost a necessity for EV owners, and the property management is getting more knowledgeable of them.

And when I am in a position where I know there is no charging station at a property I want to stay at, I still ask them if they have one (as often as I can) so they start hearing people asking about them.

 

[Bouba]

We go on booking.com and enter pet friendly, parking, charging

 

[Chisale]

I travel frequently and have used hotel L2 charging on a number of occaisions. My feeling is that most aren't configured properly and are subject to ICEing. Aka- having the stalls located at the closest spots to the front door and people blocking them instead of walking the extra 30 or 40 feet. BUT.... if you arrive at the hotel fairly early in the late afternoon or evening then your chances of getting them are decent. The later you arrive at night then the chances of ICEing go way up. If you do get there and the spots are ICEd then whether or not the front desk will help out in the situation is a mixed bag. Sometimes they will make an effort to find the person and call their room and ask them to move. But other times they will take the position that parking is first come-first served and they can't be bothered. For this reason, my general rule is to use hotel charging but make sure there are alternatives around. Almost everywhere I use hotel charging there are superchargers nearby and thus I am using the hotel to save money. I wouldn't drive into a rural area where that is going to be your only option and you would get stranded if the hotel charger is ICEd and the staff is recalcitrant to help. Also, factor in price. Many hotels that do provide charging are more expensive. So ask yourself would just going to a nearby supercharger and staying a more lesser expensive hotel save money? All in all, it's absolutely great when it works. But due to the common positioning of the stalls close to the entrance and workers not helping much, it can be a nuisance too.

 

[Soul Surfer]

Pretty much always. We always base out decisions on EV charging 99.99% of the time. Worst case scenario, is proximity to a wall plug or a Super Charger centre.

 

[ucmndd]

I treat them as nice to have but rarely if ever depend on them. If I can leave the next morning in a warm car at 100% that’s great, but I always keep enough reserve to get to the next supercharger if I have to. These days that’s rarely a problem.

 

[KJD]

Marriott is nice enough to have a dedicate website with a list of all their hotels with EV charging. Hilton and Airbnb has a filter for EV charging.

I did not know that Marriott did that. Thanks for the tip.

The page however seems to be well hidden, it would have been nice to see a menu option on the main page, but whatever.

Marriott Bonvoy Customer Service and Online Help

 

[FOOLSLFDRVNG]

I really wish that some hotel chain would say we are going to provide charging at ALL of our locations. I think they would have a loyal following if they did. Sad to say no hotels are that forward thinking.

When I got my first Tesla I tried to stay at hotels with charging, but found it to be time consuming and often led to disappointment for one reason or another. Now I plan my trips around the best supercharging route and then try and find a hotel near to the last supercharger of the day. Seems to work out a lot better that way.

Home 2 Suite, owned by Hilton does.

Home2 Suites EV Charging Hotels in USA - Find Hotels - Hilton

Explore Home2 Suites EV Charging Hotels in USA. Search by destination, check the latest prices, or use the interactive map to find the location for your next stay. Book direct for the best price and free cancellation.

www.hilton.com

There’s also an option for Airbnb.

 

[SageBrush]

When picking a hotel, how many of you factor EVSE charging into the decision?

I find destination charging to be really useful, so I carry an electric scooter in the car to give myself a good mile radius to find a hotel and charging to my liking. I don't always succeed but I find the effort worthwhile. My main problem has been finding charging at locations that I feel safe leaving the car unattended overnight.

 

[threeputts]

I do but how much value I assign to level 2 charging depends on the route. On most trips the overnight L2 is worth something if it allows me to skip a supercharging stop but if the cost difference is more than say $20 I’ll disregard it. Where it’s worth a lot is in places without nearby superchargers like Kalispell MT, Durango CO, Liberal KS.

 

[threeputts]

There’s also an option for Airbnb.

If not specified in the listing verify with the owner what kind of charging it is and if there is an added fee. I’ve seen places where the “EV charger” was just a 120 outlet.

 

[SourJellybeans]

I wouldn't depend on it, but if a hotel offers it, I'm likely to take advantage of it. The way I see it, even if it's more expensive than going to a DCFC [1], it's rewarding them for supporting the infrastructure, or if they offer it for free, at least demonstrates to them that it'll get used. And certainly, if there are two otherwise-equal hotels and one has charging while the other doesn't, I'll take the charger.

[1] I've typically encountered just a flat fee, $5-$10 to use it, paid to the front desk. I may not get that much out of charging there, but I'll at least top-up while we eat breakfast or something.

 

[Hayseed_MS]

I depend and use it heavily. However, sometimes they are ICE'd, broken, or full so I always have a good back-up plan if needed. Has been an incredible convenience.

I estimate I had approx 1,000kWh at destination chargers at the hotels in 2022. Only about 60kWh cost - the rest were free.

 

[Hayseed_MS]

I emailed Marriott a couple of years ago and they put a filter dropdown under "amenities" for the EV charging. Their chargers do not always appear on Plug Share.

 

[Park2670]

Each time I am travelling I specifically book hotels with charging. But two out of the three times I have arrived to spots being ICEd, or filled with EVs, or even more infuriating, filled with EVs not plugged in.
I always make sure there is charging around the hotel as a backup.

 

[TomServo]

YES and NO: I say NO to “can you rely on them“ because on my last trip BOTH OFFICIAL TESLA DESTINATION CHARGERS were being used by non-Tesla’s using an adapter folks can buy.