The hospitality industry faces slow adoption of EV charging due to high costs, complex infrastructure, and uncertain ROI, but growing guest demand and government support present a key opportunity for hotels to upgrade and attract eco-conscious travellers.
The hospitality industry has a huge opportunity to embrace electric vehicle charging, but actual adoption is lagging. Recent data shows that only 6% of city hotels offer EV chargers, and just 1 in 5 UK hotels currently have charging facilities. High upfront costs, complicated grid requirements, uncertain ROI, and the absence of standardised management models all play a part in keeping EV charging rare in hospitality.
Despite growing guest demand, many venues still rely on outdated or inadequate EV charging setups. This mismatch between what guests want and what’s actually offered is both a headache and a chance for hotels, restaurants, and similar businesses.
To really understand why adoption is slow, you have to look at the money, the technical hurdles, and the way investment decisions get made. Let’s dig into why hospitality is trailing behind other industries and what’s shaping the current landscape for EV charging in hotels and related businesses.
Even as guest demand rises, just 1 in 5 UK hotels offers charging. The main obstacles? Uncertain returns on investment and the messy coordination needed between property owners, contractors, and utilities.
Hotels have unique usage patterns. Guests typically stay one to three nights, so it’s tough to predict if charging stations will see enough action to justify the spend.
Seasonal swings and the mix of business vs. leisure guests make ROI projections tricky. A city hotel with weekday corporate guests needs something different from a coastal resort packed on weekends. Our data shows that popular venues can earn an ROI within months, and the majority will break even within a year.
Installation costs make hoteliers pause, especially after recent tough years. Level 2 chargers, which charge an EV in four to eight hours, fit overnight stays but require major upgrades to electrical systems. For many, the math just doesn’t add up right now. Government grants can help lower the initial investment for businesses, making the installation cost less daunting.
Finding the right EV partner is crucial to overcoming these barriers. Providers like voltshare are an ideal fit for the seasonality of hospitality businesses, with no fixed monthly fees or long land leases, meaning if you don't earn, you don't pay.
Most hotel car parks weren’t designed with EVs in mind. Many properties don’t have enough electrical capacity for multiple charging points without pricey upgrades.
Retrofitting is especially tough in listed buildings or tight parking lots. Engineers have to work around old structures, hidden utilities, and protected facades. Laying cables means digging up car parks, which can uncover all sorts of headaches. At voltshare, we work with trusted installers who take care of site surveys and cable-laying, to save hospitality owners the hassle.
Hotel ownership is often split between landlords, operators, and car park managers, making decisions slow and complicated. One party pays, another runs daily operations, and everyone has a say.
Contractors need sign-offs, access, and schedules from all sides before getting started. Electrical engineers have to coordinate with property managers, maintenance teams, and utility companies, each with their own agenda.
Franchise rules can clash with what’s possible on-site or with local regulations. These factors can slow down EV uptake in the sector, although we aim to make the process as smooth as possible by managing connections with trusted installers so that property managers can relax and let us do the work.
Getting planning permission for EV charging used to mean dealing with building codes, electrical safety, and local rules. If the property was listed or in a conservation area, you could expect even more paperwork and scrutiny.
However, as of May 2025, the UK government has largely removed the requirement for planning permission for many EV charger installations, both at home and in most commercial settings, to accelerate the rollout of charging infrastructure. Here at voltshare, we handle all necessary permissions with your local council, ensuring compliance with local regulations.
The slow uptake of EV charging in hospitality boils down to financial risk, tough procurement processes, and the limited resources of smaller businesses to handle new tech.
Setting up EV charging isn’t cheap. The hospitality sector is already under financial pressure, so spending on new infrastructure is a tough sell. Uncertain usage and changing electricity tariffs make ROI hard to pin down, especially when hotels are juggling more immediate costs like staffing and energy bills.
Grid connection fees can add costs, especially for older buildings needing major electrical work. However, with short ROI windows becoming more tempting, and widespread government grants making installation easier to palate, we expect to see increasing EV infrastructure uptake over the next few years.
B2B sales for EV charging gear often miss the mark for hospitality, especially for small and medium businesses with tight budgets. Suppliers usually target big car parks or fleets, not the unique needs of hotels or restaurants. We aim to change this, making EV infrastructure accessible for everyone.
Many SMBs don’t have facility managers to help navigate specs, contracts, and compatibility. Suppliers often don’t “get” hospitality’s quirks, like peak hours or guest turnover.
Financing options are thin for independents. Big chains can negotiate leases or power deals, but small operators rarely get those terms. There’s also a lack of standard supplier relationships, which makes long-term support and future upgrades a bit of a gamble. However, at voltshare, if something goes wrong, our 24/7 support team steps in fast to sort it out. Updates happen remotely, so the tech stays current.
The biggest hurdles are high installation costs, unclear ROI, and limited electrical grid capacity. Most hospitality businesses already run on thin margins and see EV charging as a “nice to have” rather than essential.
Space is another issue. If a hotel has little parking or is in a historic building, fitting chargers in can mean major renovations.
There’s also the challenge of staff training and ongoing maintenance. Many managers aren’t comfortable with the tech and worry it’ll add complexity.
That's where voltshare step in, with payment options, shorter payback time and 24/7 support line.
Costs usually run £1,000–£10,000 per charger, depending on type and upgrades. That’s a big ask for businesses already under financial stress.
For chargers from larger suppliers, the payback often stretches past five years, which isn’t attractive for venue owners looking for faster returns. We see much shorter estimated ROI in our data, typically 6 months to a year, and allow businesses to set their own fee for EV charging.
Eco-conscious travellers are starting to ask for chargers, and that’s putting pressure on hotels to catch up. Still, they’re not the majority yet. Now is the time to get ahead of the curve, whilst EV chargers still give hospitality sites an advantage over those without.
Hotels worry about spending on chargers that barely get used, but also don’t want to lose out on guests who expect this amenity.
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