Improving Guest Engagement, Satisfaction and Loyalty with Next-Gen Electric Vehicle Chargers
Electric vehicle (EV) adoption has grown substantially in recent years, and estimates show that EVs and plug-in hybrids are likely to account for nearly 25% of all vehicles on the road in 2024. As U.S. drivers are increasingly keen on EVs and the push to improve the charging landscape gains momentum, EV chargers remain largely absent from hotels and inns across the country.
The American Hotel and Lodging Association recently polled 17,000 of its member hotels and found that only a quarter offer EV charging. To make matters worse, many properties that do have charging stations provide guests with unreliable first-generation chargers. While early EV adopters were tolerant of certain bugs and issues, the new era of drivers is looking for chargers that enhance their travel experience. Next-generation EV chargers not only enable hoteliers to boost guest satisfaction, but they also present an opportunity for the hospitality industry to generate new revenue streams.
As hoteliers look to add EV chargers to their growing list of guest amenities, here are four ways next-generation EV chargers benefit hotels by seamlessly integrating with a guest’s digital journey and improve engagement, sentiment and loyalty.
Attract New Guests
There are more electric vehicle models available than ever before and EV sales in the United States surpassed 1 million units for the first time in 2023. The number of rechargeable cars sold is up 50% year-over-year and expected to grow even more in 2024. At the same time, concern over the availability of reliable chargers remains a common roadblock to adoption. Research has shown that nearly half of all EV drivers would not stay at a hotel without onsite EV charging, indicating that range anxiety can deter guests from staying at a particular property. EV drivers can’t go anywhere without thinking about their vehicle’s range and go to extraordinary lengths to preplan their trips and identify chargers along their route.
The same steps a hotelier takes to ensure their property is included across various travel sites, guides and mobile apps should be applied to the EV charging experience. It is critical that drivers in any electric vehicle can easily discover chargers through their route planning apps or GPS. Next-gen chargers integrate with the world’s most popular search engines and map applications, allowing customers to identify the physical location and availability of an EV charger ahead of their scheduled stay.
Increase Customer Satisfaction
EV charging stations should provide added convenience and comfort to guests, so the charging experience should be seamless for drivers. Unfortunately, traditional EV chargers require drivers to download different apps based on the charging provider and use key fobs. This is time consuming and can create a negative experience for guests before they step foot in the building.
Technology in next-gen chargers make them compatible with every brand of EV and allows them to populate within existing consumer-facing apps and services. This enables you to deliver a frictionless, end-to-end EV charging experience through a pay-as-you-go charging model without requiring drivers to pay a pre-authorization hold fee, download an additional app, or create a separate provider account.
Keep Guests and Staff Safe
Security issues EV charging stations are problematic for both drivers and operators. A recent study revealed that 43% of women in the U.S. expressed concerns about the overall safety of EV charging locations while 40% noted the importance of accessible, well-lit charging stations in less remote areas. EV chargers are a primary target for hacks that include planting ransomware, hijacking charger message screens with politically motivated or objectionable content and accessing user data.
The lack of broad EV security standards makes it incumbent on hoteliers and property managers to look after their employees and guests. Next-gen chargers come equipped with cameras and other important safety features to help keep people physically safe. They also leverage third-party providers for constant monitoring and evaluation, utilize backend encryption and undergo SOC 2 and CCPA certifications.
Boost Engagement and ROI
Electric Vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure can be a valuable tool for hotels to engage with their guests and deliver fast ROI. By utilizing this essential infrastructure, hotels can create a unique journey with their guests, which can help them understand their guests' movement patterns and preferences, and how to engage with them to encourage them to return to the property.
The EV charging journey for guests at a hotel begins long before they arrive and continues through checkout. Next-gen EV chargers can integrate with hotel POS and PMS software to support guest engagement, increase revenue generation and improve the overall charging experience. With next-gen EV chargers, guests can easily activate a charger and bill to their room by tapping their RFID key, request EV chargers directly when booking with reservation systems, and streamlining guest data with the loyalty platform.
Next-gen EV charging means the ability to customize the charging experience to address the property’s business needs. Capitalizing on readily available integrations, such as checking the guest into their room, syncing extra loyalty points on their account or triggering a discount code at the spa by simply plugging in, establishes a steady revenue stream for repeat guests or those with a higher spending capacity. Electric vehicle charging stations also allow hotels to generate ancillary revenue from parking spaces rather than just charging for parking. Providing next-gen EV charging fosters strengthened engagement with fast ROI and demonstrates a commitment to delivering top amenities designed to meet the needs of today’s consumers.
The guest experience is everything in the hospitality industry. This means delivering first-class amenities and offering cutting-edge technology integrations that match the preferences of evolving consumers. Guest engagement, satisfaction and loyalty can be directly attributed to the quality of service. Next-gen EV charging stations can improve each of these areas while also delivering increased revenue and ROI for hoteliers and properties across the country.
About the Author
As CEO and co-founder of EVPassport, Hooman Shahidi leads EVPassport’s global growth and corporate development operations, from global field operations, customer success, implementation, strategic and channel partnerships, investor relations, revenue operations, and go to market strategy. He was previously an Advisor at Booz Allen Hamilton, is an active Partner at Mendoza Ventures, and has held various leadership roles at Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), Yext (NYSE: YEXT), Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), and State Street (NYSE: STT). Hooman is a serial entrepreneur and growth strategist with two successful exits and over a decade of experience scaling teams and organizations.