I’m planning a trip to Brooklyn, New York, and I’ll be driving my electric vehicle. I’m looking for hotels in the area that offer EV chargers for guests. Could anyone recommend hotels in Brooklyn that have EV charging stations?
Also, if you’ve stayed at any of these hotels and can share your experience with their charging facilities, I’d really appreciate it…TIA
I can confirm that the William Vale Hotel in Williamsburg offers on-site EV charging. It’s always a good idea to double-check with the hotel directly to be sure.
Thanks for asking. I drove over 17,000 miles last year, including several long-distance, multi-day road trips. When looking for hotels, my main goal is to wake up with an 80-100% charge. This is every EV guest’s goal, so keep it in mind. There are two ways to offer a premium hotel experience to EV-driving guests: abundant self-serve chargers and valet charging.
Self-Serve Charging:
Free charging is nice, but pay chargers are better than none. If you institute fees, make them easy to pay. If payment requires an app, ensure good Internet access around the charger so phone apps work.
Don’t charge idle fees because no guest wants to wake up at 3 AM to move their car when it’s fully charged. When you have more EV guests than chargers, you’ll need to either let guests manage their charging or implement a valet system.
Valet Charging:
If you set up a valet charging system, ensure the chargers are utilized as fully as possible throughout the night and early morning. Have the valet monitor charging cycles and move cars to maximize the number of cars charged.
If you can’t fully charge all EVs overnight, manage expectations at check-in and let guests know they may only get a partial charge.
Guests staying multiple nights may not need a full charge each morning. Allow them to indicate if they only need a partial charge of 80%, for example.
It would be amazing if guests could use a hotel app to check their place in the charge queue, get notifications about charge status, or see if they might only get a partial fill.
About the Chargers:
Chargers should be durable, rated for commercial use, maintainable (with a maintenance contract available), Level 2 (fed by 220-240V power), and powered by at least 50A circuits. You might get away with 30A, but some vehicles won’t fully charge overnight at that level.
A Note on Level 3 Chargers:
Level 3 chargers, or DC Fast Chargers, are probably unnecessary for overnight guests if you have abundant Level 2 chargers. However, if there are few charging options in your area, having one or two Level 3 DC fast chargers on your property would be a bonus.
While the fastest DC charge speed rating is 350KW, 150KW is also common. Anything over 100KW should be good enough, especially if guests can comfortably wait in your lobby with amenities.
DC fast chargers are never free. Most people prefer to be charged by the KWH instead of per minute.
Plugs on Cars are Changing; Have Adapters:
The industry is shifting from J1772-style plugs/outlets to Tesla-style NACS plugs/outlets. You will likely have guests of both types. It won’t matter to your guests as long as they either bring an adapter or you provide a library of adapters.
Even better, offer J1772/NACS adapters for sale at or near cost so guests can be prepared for their next hotel charging experience.
Marriott maintains a list of hotels that provide electric vehicle charging here. In the past, I have not been charged for overnight valet parking. Hope this helps!