Transitioning to electric vehicles (EVs) or green vehicles is a big step in that direction since it is a promising method to reduce carbon emissions.

The environmental impact of transportation is expected to increase as the demand for travel rises. People and governments realize that sustainability is not an option but a necessity today and have been taking significant steps towards sustainability goals while making efforts to balance rapid economic growth with conservation, ecology, and environmental sustainability. 

In November 2021, at the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his speech, announced five significant steps towards reducing carbon emissions by 2030 by raising the country's use of renewables. Transitioning to electric vehicles (EVs) or green vehicles is a big step in that direction since it is a promising method to reduce carbon emissions.

While the awareness and adoption of EVs is gaining momentum, India is still in the early stages of its adoption. Central and several state governments are encouraging businesses to adopt EVs and install EV charging facilities, as a vast network of charging-stations is required for more extensive adoption of EVs.

Role of the Hospitality Industry in EV Adoption

The hospitality industry has always been at the forefront of innovation in design, facilities, and services. These innovations are usually inspired by changing consumer needs and demands. Moreover, hotels are looked up to as trendsetters for lifestyle choices. 

With a renewed focus on sustainability, hotels are now making conscious efforts – from water and waste management to sourcing green power to responsible disposal of e-waste. The hotel industry is inspiring people at large to adopt eco-friendly lifestyles. By installing EV charging stations on-premises (strategically located where these are seen by all guests visiting the hotel), hotels can nudge people towards adopting EVs. Since most guests visit a hotel to stay, dine or attend an event, it is a good-to-have facility on-premises where guests can leave their EV on a charge while enjoying the hotel facilities. 

A Must-have Facility

I believe that EVs are the future of mobility. The hospitality industry will soon witness a trend wherein several guests will prefer hotels that offer EV charging stations as one of the facilities. It means that today’s ‘a good to have facility’ will move to ‘a must-have facility’. As people get more and more conscious about the environment, they will choose businesses that share their concerns about the planet and are able to demonstrate the steps they have taken in that direction. By adopting EVs as a transport fleet and providing charging infrastructure on-premises, hotels will be able to showcase their commitment to sustainability. As more people switch to EVs, the availability of EV charging stations at hotel premises will soon be a norm. 

Contributing to a Greener World 

At Chalet Hotels, we recognize the importance of sustainability and have incorporated sustainability in our vision statement. It is entrenched in our business philosophy and has been integrated into our plans, right from the design initiation stage of projects and through their life cycle. It is a continuous journey that seeks higher benchmarks and achieving new milestones. Chalet Hotels is the first hospitality company across the globe to join all three key initiatives by Climate Group, namely RE100, EP100, and EV100, that are linked to renewable energy, energy efficiency, and electric mobility, respectively.

As a part of the continued commitment to a greener business model, Chalet has committed to moving to electric vehicles across the portfolio by FY25, as part of Climate Group’s EV 100 initiative. We have already installed EV charging points in around 50% of our properties (JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar, The Westin Mumbai Powai Lake and Bengaluru Marriott Hotel Whitefield) ahead of our deadline towards the EV100 commitment of installing charging infrastructure at all our assets. We intend to complete the installation of EV Charging Stations at all our remaining properties well ahead of our committed schedule.