Today having a charging point is obviously not compulsory; it is an extra service that cannot yet be taken for granted.
At present, the public charging network is so poorly managedthat travellers no longer even look at the brand, the location or the rates.
An EV driver who knows they can sleep soundly because your charging service is efficient will come to you regardless of everything else.
From 2035, however, the production of combustion-engine cars is actually expected to stop, and in the coming years there will be more and more electric cars, so installing charging points in 5-6 years’ time, when everyone has them, will no longer set you apart; it will simply be taken for granted.
Installing them now, on the other hand, and above all communicating it properly, is certainly a much appreciated strength, because electric car owners are in despair when they arrive at a hotel and find weak or unavailable charging points.
You need to turn a necessity into one of your hotel’s strengths.
Like Wi-Fi a few years ago, when it wasn’t yet so essential and all that mattered was having it.
But let’s look at another interesting part.
Tips and tricks.
First of all, the position of the charging point: it is always best for it to be under cover or in the shade, and close to the electricity meter.
This is because the sun overheats the charging point and triggers the protective electronics, which read this overheating as excess current and reduce the power.
And this may well be what happened in the video earlier.
It is also a good idea to install the charging point close to the meter, for a more stable supply voltage.
Another thing not to underestimate: since charging points are not used very much these days, it is important to test their efficiency every so often, to avoid nasty surprises for the guest who uses one after a period of inactivity.
Of course, it is essential to brief reception staff on how charging works too, otherwise everyone panics at the first phone enquiry.
And that’s not all: it is also important that the information on your hotel’s website is clear.
Unfortunately I often see pointless pages full of propaganda about green living, but if someone already has an electric car, they have already made that choice; they couldn’t care less what you think, they just need to know:
- the charging power
- the number of charging points
- whether it is paid or free
- whether booking is required
I have yet to find a single website page that includes all of this information.
Instead, having a dedicated, SEO-oriented page that ranks for hotel + city name + charging points would significantly increase your hotel’s visibility and the effectiveness of your communication.
Booking.com has also recently added the option to list a charging station, but unfortunately without any of the details we have just seen.
On that note, I am pleased to point out a new project called “Eviaggio“.
EViaggio is a portal created by someone I have had the chance to get to know: a typical EV driver who, fed up with the inaccuracies and useless information on various websites, decided to build his own portal: EViaggio.it.
He personally added all the hotels with charging points found in the various apps, including the information that is genuinely useful to travellers: the connector type, the power in kW, the number of sockets and the link to Booking.com.
If you already have a charging point, check whether your hotel is already listed on the portal and claim it, completing the listing with all the relevant information and photos free of charge.
As well as this dedicated portal, you can also list your charging station on the various apps used by EV drivers; the most popular are:
NextCharge – PlugShare – Chargemap
I’ll say it again: it is important to do this now, both to gain a competitive advantage and to provide a good service that almost no hotel can guarantee today.
Besides, you won’t be caught unprepared when having charging points at your hotel becomes practically compulsory.
[Source: AlbergatorePro https://www.albergatorepro.com/blog/colonnine-di-ricarica-in-hotel-per-attirare-nuovi-clienti-aumentare-ricavi-e-soddisfazione-ospiti]
