Premier Inn is further expanding charging infrastructure at its German hotels.
Premier Inn will continue to equip its German hotel portfolio with charging infrastructure. Currently, 21 of its 75 properties offer charging options for electric vehicles, with the goal of having over 30 such locations by spring 2027.
Charging station at a Premier Inn hotel in Frankfurt am Main.
Image: Premier Inn
The British hotel chain plans to add around 20 more locations per year going forward. Wallboxes are installed from the start in new constructions, while existing hotels will be upgraded gradually. The partner responsible for this expansion is EMobility Netzwerk Deutschland.
The charging stations are not intended only for hotel guests. Since the underground garages of these properties are publicly accessible with a parking ticket, external drivers can also charge their vehicles there. By doing so, Premier Inn is expanding the publicly available charging options at least in these locations.
According to the company, demand for charging facilities has risen significantly in recent years, especially among business travelers. For hotels, so-called destination charging is particularly important: vehicles often stay for several hours or overnight, allowing AC charging stations to meet a large portion of the energy needs during the stay.
Premier Inn relies on destination charging in Germany
Premier Inn has not yet provided technical details regarding the expansion in Germany. Questions remain about things such as the number of charging stations per location, their charging capacity, as well as information on pricing and billing.
This German initiative builds on previous efforts by the hotel chain in the UK. There, Premier Inn announced in 2021, in partnership with Engie, plans to install up to 1,000 public fast-charging stations. Initially, 600 charging stations with over 50 kW were planned for 300 hotels. In contrast, the current expansion in Germany focuses more on wallboxes and gradual upgrades to existing properties.
By doing this, Premier Inn in Germany adopts a relatively pragmatic approach: rather than focusing primarily on extremely high charging speeds, it aims to provide charging infrastructure where vehicles already stay for extended periods. Whether this will ultimately result in a comprehensive offering across its entire portfolio depends mainly on the further expansion pace and the still-unresolved technical requirements.