the importance of hotel Level 2 charging

DC Fast Charging (DCFC) gets a lot of press and for good reason. Slower, Level 2 destination charging is great, but you have to reach your destination in a reasonable amount of time which may only be practical with DCFC.

However, one fantastic use case for Level 2 AC charging, in addition to home and work charging, is overnight hotel stays. The ability to conveniently 'refuel' at a hotel that offers EV charging as an amenity is underrated, but seems to be gathering traction. The large deal Hilton just made with Tesla shows that hotels are starting to understand the importance of EV charging when offering amenities that will attract customers. From the article link below, "In 2023, the [Hilton] website’s EV charging search attribute had the fastest volume of growth to-date, jumping from fourth to second highest in converting searches to stays."

Hilton's Announcement: Hilton to Install Up to 20,000 Tesla Universal Wall Connectors at 2,000 Hotels, Creating Largest Overnight Electric Vehicle Charging Network within Hospitality Industry

From a personal perspective, here's the stats from my latest real world hotel stay with Level 2. My wife and I took a 490 mile trip to Bethany Beach, DE and we stayed overnight with IHG Hotels & Resorts in nearby Ocean City, MD. That was roundtrip mileage with some small side jaunts and other miscellaneous stops. There was no charging on the road between my home and the hotel both ways. With complimentary hotel charging and home charging at no additional cost (solar), there was also no cost for fuel and no time spent charging while on the road. We selected the hotel because it offered convenient EV charging with an oceanfront view. Like the Hilton example above, we hope to see more EV charging offered at IHG hotels.

• Trip from Martinsburg, WV area to Ocean City, MD: 90% to 25% State of Charge (SoC), 222 miles, 214 wh/mi (159 MPGe)
• Trip from Ocean City, MD back home: 90% to 11% SoC, 269 miles, 216 wh/mi (156 MPGe)

As a side note, if you estimate total range possible based on either leg of that trip using 100% of the battery, it's greater than the car's 330 mile EPA range. Admittedly, dry weather in the mid 60s to low 70s was ideal for this trip, it's a relatively flat route, chill mode was enabled, there is only 60 miles or so of interstate driving with the rest of the route being 55 mph or lower speed limits, and I tend to drive at the speed limit or a bit over. So, the conditions were much closer to the EPA's testing methodology than an all interstate trip.

On your next EV road trip, check for Level 2 charging at your hotel stops and if the hotel doesn't offer that amenity, make sure to encourage local management and/or corporate to provide that capability for their EV owning customers. If they did offer Level 2 charging and it worked, make sure to let them know that you appreciated the ability to 'refuel' your EV while enjoying their hotel!