Hospitality Business Magazine

CQ Hotels Wellington installs Tesla charging stations

CQ Hotels Wellington General Manager, Olivier Lacoua introduces the latest EV facility to the range of services the hotel offers.

CQ Hotels in Wellington is paving the way in the New Zealand hospitality industry by becoming the first hotel in the country to install TESLA charging stations. The two Tesla charging stations will be an addition to the eight electric car charging stations already at the hotel.

General Manager,Olivier Lacoua says with the recent arrival of Telsa electric vehicles in New Zealand it’s a no brainer to act now and get on the bandwagon.

“As the number of  electric vehicles (EVs)  in New Zealand increases, it’s essential for hotels in general to provide this offering to guests – either for those who are using their own EV to explore the city or have chosen to hire an EV during their stay. We are already witnessing a surge in electric cars on the roads so it’s important we offer this incentive to guests and also to follow our moral code and do good by the planet,” said Lacoua.

CQ Hotels Wellington has a strong sustainability focus – in 2015 it lead the way, offering guests electric bikes for hire, working in conjunction with Wellington based cycle hire start-up Switched on Bikes who run eBike guided tours of Wellington. The e-bikes work by getting their power from being charged up using a standard power lead and plug. They provide power on demand, responding to and complementing pedalling speed and power.

“We have had such a great response from guests using our electric charging stations and electric bikes.  The uptake of e-bikes has been hugely popular as we are finding most people find it a fun, easy and green way to get around the city and see the sites. And with the growth in EVs sold in the market, we’ve had guests choosing to stay at our hotel because they have the ability to plug their car in and charge it up with ease,” said Lacoua.