Dive Brief:
- IHG Hotels & Resorts has partnered with Atlanta-based EnviroSpark to make electric vehicle chargers available to all IHG-branded hotels in the U.S. and Canada, the company announced Tuesday.
- The partnership gives IHG owners “more options” when they choose to install chargers at their hotels, according to Brian McGuinness, IHG’s SVP of global guest experience. IHG also launched a search filter on its mobile app and new map features that allow guests to search for hotels that have EV chargers installed.
- Between 2011 and 2021, the number of EVs on the road jumped by over 9,000%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. IHG is the latest hotel group to partner with a provider of EV charging infrastructure, as guests increasingly demand the amenity.
Dive Insight:
The partnership with EnviroSpark “is a natural next step for IHG,” McGuinness said in a statement, adding that it will “[make] travel easier for a growing segment of sustainability-minded travelers.”
To encourage properties to elect to install the chargers, IHG has created an EV charging guide with best practices, which will be available to owners of the company’s more than 4,100 open hotels in the U.S. and Canada.
McGuinness cited the importance of “road-trip brands” Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express to IHG. And more travelers are making those road trips in EVs than ever before.
Lara Hernandez, SVP of global brand strategy and innovation at Hilton, told Hotel Dive in January that the growing number of consumers hitting the road in eco-friendly cars has bolstered guest demand for EV charging. Hilton, in partnership with Tesla, will begin installing up to 20,000 EV chargers at 2,000 hotels in North America this year.
BWH Hotels is also working with Tesla to expand charging capabilities in North America. Meanwhile, Marriott is working with EV Connect, and LNG Electric is bringing chargers to 13,000 properties across the U.S.
In August, EnviroSpark announced a partnership with AD1 Global to bring EV charging stations to 17 hotels.
A certified minority-owned company by the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council, EnviroSpark will further IHG’s goal to increase its number of diverse suppliers, a key component of its Journey to Tomorrow corporate responsibility initiative, IHG shared.
As part of Journey to Tomorrow, IHG has pledged to cut emissions at its owned, managed and franchised hotels by 46% by 2030.
