Hospitality’s New Amenity: Offering EV Charging Wins Bookings

Hotel charging has crossed from “nice-to-have” to portfolio standard—and the software behind the plugs now determines guest experience, uptime, and payments. What’s changed in 2024–2025? Big brands leaned in, roaming improved, and consolidation put a spotlight on vendor durability.

The market signal. Hilton says EV charging jumped to the #2 highest-converting filter on Hilton.com in 2023, with the fastest volume growth of any search filter—evidence that guests actively choose properties on charging availability. Its plan to deploy up to 20,000 Tesla Universal Wall Connectors at 2,000 hotels began rolling out in 2024, setting a new baseline for overnight Level-2 coverage. Marriott named EV Connect a preferred provider across ~6,000 hotels, pushing standardization deeper into the midscale.

Zooming out, hotels already host a meaningful chunk of U.S. public charging: a 2024 legal brief estimated nearly 15% of charging points are on hotel properties. Meanwhile, the global supply of public chargers grew over 30% in 2024, expanding the roaming web your guests rely on when they’re not on site. Translation for owners: demand is real, expectations are rising, and connectivity matters.

Why software (and M&A risk) matter. Two headline moves frame 2025’s risk calculus. First, WEG acquired a majority stake in Tupi Mob, a CPMS player—another proof of vertical stacks (hardware + network + payments). Second, Shell Recharge announced it will end its Shell Sky™ CPMS in the U.S./Canada on April 30, 2025, forcing many site hosts to migrate. The lesson for owners: insist on OCPP-compliant hardware, OCPI roaming, and explicit migration clauses in contracts.

The expanded software shortlist (hospitality-ready)

Alongside EV Connect, Driivz, ChargeLab, AMPECO/GreenFlux, and ChargePoint, add these names to your RFP slate:

• DynaChrg — CPMS + energy management stack (EVES) with load balancing; positioned for CRE/hospitality.

• Blink Charging (Blink Network) — Full-stack network with CPMS, payments, driver app; active in U.S. public/CRE and adding government & procurement wins.

• Evoltsoft — White-label, OCPP 1.6/2.0.1 CPMS; listed with the Open Charge Alliance. Useful for owners wanting a branded guest UX.

• FLO — North American network; CPMS + payments + roaming with partner networks; hospitality program and tooling.

• AmpUp — Software-led CPMS with smart load management, access control, and reliability case studies relevant to hotel ops. 

(For roaming context on a major network, see Blink–Hubject’s 2025 eRoaming tie-up.)

The owner’s playbook (2025 edition)

• Standardize the stack. Publish a portfolio spec: overnight L2 (7–19 kW) as default, DCFC only at highway-adjacent flags; OCPP/OCPI required; per-site uptime ≥97% with defined response windows; tap-to-pay + QR fallback on every unit. These requirements future-proof and simplify brand standards.

• Make pricing obvious—everywhere. Mirror the same kWh rate, session/idle fees on-unit and in apps. Clear, consistent prices reduce disputes and support better reviews and conversion.

• Contract like it’s mission-critical. Add migration language (vendor exit/acquisition triggers), require per-property uptime reporting (not network averages), and insist on spare-parts staging plus max repair windows. Shell’s CPMS sunset proves why.

• Use the data. Feed CPMS data into PMS/loyalty: hold a few L2 ports for elite or late-checkout guests; push off-peak “charge + breakfast” bundles; measure basket lift during charging windows.

• Track KPIs that move ROI. Sessions/room-night, average kWh per stay, activation success rate, support tickets per 100 sessions—and booking conversion where EV charging is filtered in search. These numbers justify expanding from 2–4 ports to 8–12 as adoption grows.

Bottom line

Hospitality is embracing EV charging at scale: Hilton’s filter data, Marriott’s preferred-provider model, and a growing global charger base show where guest behavior is heading. Owners who choose stable, open software platforms, lock in uptime and payments, and integrate charging into the guest journey will see the payoff in search conversion, satisfaction, and repeat business—amenity value that looks a lot like Wi-Fi’s rise 15 years ago.