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Hotel Denies 110v charging access

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timbo

New Member
Aug 11, 2016
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Aptos
I have owned a Tesla for 3 years and have stayed in numerous hotels. Every hotel has made an extra effort to accommodate charging my Tesla, even if it is only a 110v outlet. The Sheraton Hotels has just denied my request because of "safety concerns". Has anyone else heard of such a claim? Has anyone else been denied the ability to charge at a hotel? I would like a list of hotels that that Tesla owners can know about so we can avoid these hotels.
 
I have owned a Tesla for 3 years and have stayed in numerous hotels. Every hotel has made an extra effort to accommodate charging my Tesla, even if it is only a 110v outlet. The Sheraton Hotels has just denied my request because of "safety concerns". Has anyone else heard of such a claim? Has anyone else been denied the ability to charge at a hotel? I would like a list of hotels that that Tesla owners can know about so we can avoid these hotels.

Would likely not be about cost but about liability and/or maybe concern over the wiring. Would talk to the manager of the hotel, send a letter to corporate. That might be the positive way to go here - maybe they end up putting a charging station or identifying at least a 'safe' 110 outlet for the future. In the letter, state that you're updating the tesla motor club with their response. The last thing a hotel chain needs is for this negative image (of any kind) to spread from a car owners' website.
 
Where is a plaintiff's attorney when you need one?

I suppose that if the cable from the outlet to your car is draped along the ground over a sidewalk or other place where guests would walk back and forth from the parking lot to their rooms, that if they tripped and hurt themselves that the hotel might have some liability there.

I suppose that there could be an electrical problem if moisture gets into the wrong spot, or if your charging cable is compromised and winds up in a puddle of water and some kid goes skipping through the puddle barefoot.

I have used 110V charging overnight at three different motels. I have always asked permission, and it was granted. They directed me to the most remote area of their property that has power. I always place some sort of large towel or other fabric over the cable to minimize someone tripping over the cable at night.
 
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The bigger question is why were you even bothering to charge at 110v. Need the extra 8 miles did you?
I did this recently at an AirBNB even tho there was a supercharge in the area where I charged to 93%-ish before driving around for dinner and goofing off. Then it was nice to top off overnight and time it so you can leave at 95% or more. Also good to use grid battery to help keep the battery temp "perfect".
 
If you end up needing to charge at 110v then you have a bigger problem with your planning.
Not true. If you're staying somewhere for a weekend you can get a significant number of miles at 120V, even more so if it's a 20A circuit as most hotels have and you use the 5-20 UMC adapter. Possibly a full charge or close to it. I've used 120V at hotels several times and it was a great convenience even if it wasn't absolutely necessary. Even if it's just overnight the extra 40-50 miles can make a big difference in a 60.
 
Most hotels are franchisees, so its unlikely its a corporate policy. Also, remember, the worry about liability extends to your car--if the have a power problem and it fries your car, they would be on the hook and may not want to take that risk without specific coverage for it.
 
I always call hotels and ask if I can charge before I book a room. All have been very helpful and accommodating, except one that said "no way." I stayed there anyway, since there were no good alternatives nearby, and the train station next door had free J1772s available.

GSP
 
one reason in addition to needing the few miles gained by plugging into a 110 is that in cold weather it limits the drain on the battery when it tries to protect itself
Yes to that because you don't want to be Broder'd !!! (9:45pm stop below hahaha)
2013-363206-john-broder-article-about-the-model-s-with-tesla-commentary-14-2-20131.jpg
 
If the hotel did not have any 120v outlets that were dedicated to a single 15/20 amp breaker, then absolutely they should deny your request to charge. You would be charging at 12 or 16 amps and if anything else plugged in on the same circuit, the breaker would likely trip. If their electricians installed the outlet poorly, a fire might even occur.

That being said, I've definitely successfully use 120v charging on a trip before. It wasn't necessary because there is a Supercharger a few miles away, but while we were at Disney in Orlando our resort had many 120v outlets and over the several days we were at the parks we were able to charge to 100% before we left and were able to drive directly to the Plantation, FL Supercharger 215 miles away instead of stopping at one of the 3 Superchargers along the way.

On the same trip on the way home we also plugged in to a 120v outlet in our hotel in Key Largo, FL which wasn't "necessary" but decreased our charging time on our way home.
 
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one reason in addition to needing the few miles gained by plugging into a 110 is that in cold weather it limits the drain on the battery when it tries to protect itself
I do this frequently. Bath, ME is 86 miles from the nearest SC to the south. I could waste an hour charging to a high level at the SC, or charge just what I need, coast in on fumes, keep plugged in at the hotel for 12 hours/day, and leave town with a full battery.
 
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Yelp reviews now include whether there is a PokéStop near the business... And we still can't get an "EV Charging" item added to TripAdvisor hotel listings.
Rant off.

("We can land a used first stage of an orbital rocket, but we can't put a man on the moon!" the old man yelled at the cloud...)
 
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