Accor to roll out electric car charging at UK hotels
The French hotel group will roll-out the technology across 60 of its ibis and Novotel sites as part of a partnership with Chargemaster.
The 22kW and 7kW 'state-of-the-art fast chargers' will power cars in up to 60 minutes and be free to use for all guests with electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles
Accor believes it is the first major hotel chain to install charging points in response to the rising number of guests travelling with electric cars.
Thomas Dubaere, managing director of AccorHotels UK and Ireland, said: “We recognise that many of our customers are adopting low-emission vehicles and we need to provide charging points at our hotels to accommodate them.
“In providing a national rollout of this service, AccorHotels continues to lead the field in customer service and our commitment to sustainable development.”
Sales of ultra low emission vehicles (ULEVs) have doubled in the UK over the past year and it is forecast that by 2020 one in ten new cars by will be electric or plug-in.
Chargemaster CEO David Martell said Accor's plans marked a 'major step forward' for the UK.
“Hotels are one of the obvious locations where electric vehicle drivers have a fundamental need for charging facilities and we are delighted to work with AccorHotels to achieve this," he said.
