Sometimes hotel technology goes beyond reservations systems, augmented reality apps and website innovations, and gets into roadside attractions.
The Ritz-Carlton in Charlotte, N.C., is doing just that with its installation of a permanent Level II charging station for travelers pulling up to the hotel in their all-electric vehicles.
Lots of automakers -- including Mitsubishi, Ford, BMW, Nissan and Renault, to name a few -- either have electric cars on the market or should debut them in the next year or so.
The Ritz-Carlton in Charlotte, which is LEED Gold-certified, installed a bollard-mount CT2101 electric vehicle charging station manufactured by Coulomb Technologies.
The charging station has two ports: one provides a 120-volt Level 1 charge, taking about 10-12 hours to fully charge the vehicle, and the other features a 240-volt Level 2 charge, taking about half the time.
However, the hotel envisions many guests' electric vehicles just needing to be topped off with a perhaps a 30-45 minute charge. Just as changing stations for parents and their babies are common at many retail outlets, some day soon charging stations may become the norm at hotels.
A spokeswoman for the hotel says the service will be free to guests.