Hilton rolls out plan to add 20,000 Tesla chargers across 2,000 North American hotels
There’s planned refueling taking place at more than the breakfast stations at Hilton hotels across the U.S., Canada and Mexico in the coming years.
Hilton announced Thursday a plan to add as many as 20,000 Tesla Universal Wall Connectors across 2,000 of its hotels in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Despite the Tesla branding, the chargers work on any North American electric vehicle model.
This is a major step forward for both Hilton and the EV sector, as fast charging is a crucial part of the modern road trip. Hilton's roadside hotel portfolio will likely get a boost in traveler appeal once the chargers are fully implemented.
“Through this expanded agreement with Tesla, we are significantly changing the landscape of universal EV chargers in North America in an incredibly short amount of time,” Matt Schuyler, Hilton’s chief brand officer, said in a statement. “Across Hilton’s family of award-winning brands, this network of EV chargers will offer our guests even more value with the convenience of much-needed overnight charging access in more locations.”
According to a search on Hilton’s website, there are currently 1,150 U.S. Hilton-affiliated hotels with EV-charging capabilities. There are only 67 in Canada and 22 in Mexico.
At full buildout, Hilton’s 20,000-charger network across North America would put the company ahead of Los Angeles County (18,287) for having the most electric vehicle chargers on the continent, per data from car buying platform iSeeCars. It doesn’t appear as though Hilton is necessarily targeting certain parts of North America over others for the EV charging rollout.
A company spokesperson noted Hilton is providing the option for owners of all properties in the North American portfolio to engage with a set of preferred vendors to install EV charging stations on their properties at their own discretion. While it might not be a brand standard across the entire company, nearly all of Hilton’s all-suites and “focused service” brands, including Embassy Suites and Home2 Suites, now have EV charging stations as a requirement on new-build hotels in the U.S.
Hilton did not provide a set timeline on when it would achieve the 20,000-charger benchmark, but the spokesperson noted installation would begin in 2024 and take “over a couple of years” to fully implement.
As for how much it will cost (because there's often no such thing as a free lunch or EV charging), pricing will be determined by Tesla. Charging prices may vary but will be in line with other Tesla stations in the area. Guests will need to download the Tesla app to reserve, pay and charge their vehicles.
It costs $15.52 on average to charge a Tesla, according to EnergySage.
The need (and opportunity) for hotels to offer EV charging
The announcement comes months after a report from the American Hotel & Lodging Association noted only a quarter of the 17,000 hotels in the U.S. offered some form of EV charging and many of those only had a single charging port. Hilton and Hyatt were specifically cited for offering EV charging at less than a third of their respective U.S. portfolios, per a Bloomberg analysis of the report.
A Marriott spokesperson did not respond in time for publication as to the company’s own North American EV footprint.
Hilton spokespeople did not indicate if there were certain brands that would see more EV-charging rollout than others, but the company announcement did note participating hotels would see at least six chargers at each property. This is a significant boost amid the dichotomy of a broader embrace of electric vehicles across the U.S. but concerns there isn’t yet enough infrastructure in place to charge these types of automobiles.
“To ensure electric vehicle adoption at scale, our joint industry goal must be to vastly improve upon the traditional gasoline vehicle ownership experience, not just meet it,” Rebecca Tinucci, Tesla’s senior director of charging infrastructure, said in a statement. “Installing infrastructure at popular destinations like Hilton hotels enables EV owners to charge where they park, meaning no unnecessary refueling stops along their journey."
Tinucci indicated Tesla planned to further this charging initiative with “other industry leaders.”
Hilton sees this as a way to better appeal to changing guest demands. The company announcement claimed EV charging capabilities had the fastest search volume increase to date this year of any other hotel search attribute.
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.