Choice Hotels to Install Tesla EV Chargers at Cambria and Other Brands
Choice Hotels said on Tuesday it had struck a deal with Tesla to make electric vehicle (EV) chargers available at many of its brands.
The U.S.-based hotel group will require franchises of its upscale Cambria brand to add at least one EV charger of any brand for guests. It will also specifically make Tesla Universal Wall Connectors optionally available to franchisees of all of its brands.
Choice Hotels added a search tool on its website and app late last year to let travelers search their list of hotels to find ones with electric vehicle chargers.
The goal is to relieve so-called “range anxiety“: One of the biggest worries of EV owners planning long trips is whether they’ll have access to charging stations at convenient locations and times.
Most Choice franchisees will have to buy on their own the EV chargers.
Other hotel companies are courting EV owners. Last September, Hilton said it would install at least six Tesla EV chargers at each of its 2,000 hotels in North America. All of Marriott’s roughly 80 Element Hotels in the U.S. have at least a couple of charging stations. Many destinations are adding EV chargers on their own.
Yet not every travel bet on EVs is working out. Rental car giant Hertz ordered 175,000 EVs in 2022 but has this month scaled back because of less-than-expected demand.
Choice Hotels includes upscale brands Radisson and Country Inn & Suites, its upper-midscale brand Comfort, and its midscale brand Quality Inn.
CORRECTION: The story originally said Cambria owners had to have at least four EV charging stations by the end of the year, but it’s just at least one EV charging station.
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