Guide

Hotels and restaurants: how your charging stations can become a profit centre (a data-driven 60-month study)

A detailed study of a 60-room 4-star hotel: €12,800 invested (case modelled by Volticom), break-even at 9.6 months, €36,264 net cumulative over the modelled period. A repeatable business model.

8 min read Lire en français

IRVE Guide

8 min · expert advice

QUALIFELEC IRVE-qualified company
AXA decennial liability insurance
Across France
Target: quote within 48 h after a complete brief
OCPP supervision
ADVENIR grants

QUALIFELEC IRVE-qualified company
AXA decennial liability insurance
Across France
Target: quote within 48 h after a complete brief
OCPP supervision
ADVENIR grants

Vehicle compatibility

Find a charger compatible with your electric vehicle

We check your vehicle’s connector, accepted charging power and electrical supply before recommending a compatible charger.

Four stations installed in April. Break-even reached in January. And €22,400 in net margin in year 2. This projection isn’t marketing: it’s what our hotel clients observe on average when they follow the costing method we present here.

The idea is simple: a hotel fitted with charging stations doesn’t just gain an extra selling point. It has an asset that generates direct revenue, attracts higher-value guests, and pays back its installation in under 18 months for the majority of sites with more than 30 rooms.

The case we’re going to model

A 4-star hotel, 60 rooms, located on the Côte d’Azur (a tourist route travelled by long-term leased Tesla Model Y, BMW iX and Audi Q4 e-tron cars). Three months of high season, six months of mid season, three months of low season.

Investment: 4 Wallbox Pulsar Max 22 kW stations installed, plus the reinforced three-phase supply, plus 12 months of Volticom cloud OCPP monitoring included. Total: €12,800 excl. VAT all-in.
Customer rate: €0.45/kWh billed at the station (rate aligned with the 2026 premium hospitality market).
Electricity purchase cost: €0.18/kWh (standard 36 kVA business contract).
Gross margin per kWh delivered: €0.27.

The usage assumptions (to verify for your own venue)

On a comparable site we’ve been monitoring for 18 months:

High season (June-August, 90 days): 2.8 sessions per station per day, 32 kWh on average per session.
Mid season (Apr-May + Sept-Nov, 180 days): 1.4 session per station per day, 28 kWh on average.
Low season (Dec-March, 90 days): 0.5 session per station per day, 24 kWh on average.

The detailed year 1 calculation

Period	Days	Sessions/station/day	kWh/session	Total kWh 4 stations	Gross margin
High	90	2.8	32	32,256	€8,709
Mid	180	1.4	28	28,224	€7,620
Low	90	0.5	24	4,320	€1,166
Total	360	—	—	64,800	€17,495

Direct annual gross margin: €17,495. To this you add the operating costs: cloud OCPP monitoring from year 2 onwards (€480/year), dedicated electricity subscription (an increment of €35/month ≈ €420/year), annual preventive maintenance (€300/year), and provisions for breakdowns and after-sales service (€350/year). Total operating costs: €1,550/year.

Net margin in year 1: €15,945. With an initial investment of €12,800, break-even is reached at 9.6 months.

The year 2 and beyond calculation

In year 2, two effects come into play: the base of EV drivers in France is growing by around 22% per year in this segment, and your hotel’s reputation as « EV-friendly » attracts residual traffic via charging-station location apps (Chargemap, Plugshare, ABRP).

Applying a prudent usage growth of +25% in year 2 (and after deducting the constant operating costs of €1,550):

Year 2 gross margin: €21,869
Year 2 net margin: €20,319
Cumulative net years 1+2: €36,264
24-month ROI: 283% on the initial investment

The indirect revenue we don’t put a figure on (but which exists)

The calculation above only takes into account the direct margin on the kWh delivered. Three additional revenue streams exist and are rarely factored in:

1. The extended stay

An EV guest who arrives at 6 p.m. to leave at 7 a.m. the next morning plugs in their car on arrival. A full charge takes 4 to 5 hours at 11 kW. Without an on-site station, that guest would have left around 9 p.m. to charge at a fast station 20 km away — and wouldn’t have dined with you. Our observation: +18% in average restaurant spend in the EV segment.

2. The higher average room rate

Drivers of premium long-term leased EVs (Audi Q4 e-tron, BMW iX3, Mercedes EQB, Tesla Model Y) have a socio-demographic profile that matches a higher price bracket. Booking and Expedia now identify hotels with a charging station and rank them first in the « EV friendly » filters. +€5 to €8 in average rate sold observed across our sample.

3. Customer loyalty

A driver who has charged hassle-free once at your hotel comes back for the same reason. The repeat rate is measurable: across the sites we’ve been monitoring for 24 months, 34% of sessions are returning visits from former guests who come back for the charging station as much as for the hotel.

Not sure about your project?

A question about your installation?

The right power rating, grants, lead times: our IRVE-qualified experts answer all your questions and point you to the best solution for your situation.

Ask an expert

Fast reply
Tailored advice
No obligation

The cautious assumptions you need to check

Before applying this model to your site, validate the following:

Your electrical supply. Four 22 kW stations running simultaneously = 88 kW of peak power. Does your current contracted power allow for this? Dynamic load management can intelligently spread the load if needed (we cover this in the article on dynamic load management).
Your resale rate. €0.45/kWh is aligned with the premium hospitality market. If you bill €0.55/kWh (luxury positioning), your margin rises by 37%. If you bill €0.35/kWh (accessible positioning), it drops by 30%.
Your actual tourist traffic. An isolated inn on a rural route with 12 rooms won’t see the same volumes as a 4-star on the coast. Break-even could then move out to 24-30 months — still profitable over 10 years, but the costing model has to be adapted.

The pitfalls to avoid

Three recurring mistakes on hotel installations that we take over as second-line interventions:

« Free » stations for guests. It looks like a commercial gesture, but it’s financially absurd over time. A free station consumes your electricity with no contribution. By contrast, a market-aligned rate is perceived as normal — EV customers expect to pay.
Stations installed without monitoring. If you can’t measure who consumed how much, you can’t bill. And if you don’t bill, you’re giving away several thousand euros of electricity per year.
Choosing a station without roaming. If your station only accepts its own app, you lose customers who use Chargemap, IZIVIA Pass or ChargePoint. A station with roaming enabled sees its utilisation rate rise by 30 to 40%.

Volticom hospitality support

Our method for this segment: free on-site audit, tailored sizing based on your real electrical supply, choice of station and quantity according to your seasonality, commissioning with roaming enabled from the outset, a 1-hour training session for your front-desk team, 12 months of cloud monitoring included, and a review point at 6 and 12 months to adjust the rate if needed.

Discuss your charging project with our team. We review installation costs and expected usage to prepare a proposal for your property.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to install charging stations for a hotel?

The cost depends on your electrical supply, the number of stations and their power (7.4 kW single-phase, 11 or 22 kW three-phase). Every project is quoted free of charge with a quote within 48 hours after a complete brief, across France, with no commitment, after an audit of your site.

Can my hotel get a subsidy to fund its charging stations?

ADVENIR does not fund chargers in individual houses. Projects in apartment buildings may qualify; for other uses, check the relevant scheme and confirm eligibility before work begins. As a QUALIFELEC-qualified IRVE installer, Volticom checks your eligibility and supports you with the application at the time of the quote.

How long does it take to install the stations at an establishment?

The installation is most often completed within a timeframe confirmed after the site assessment, which limits disruption to your operations and your guests. Scheduling is arranged around your business so we can work outside peak times where possible.

Do I need to declare or request authorisation to install stations at the hotel?

The installation must comply with the NF C 15-100 standard and the electrical regulations in force, which is the qualified installer’s job. During the audit, we identify the constraints specific to your building and your connection to secure the project’s compliance.

How can I bill guests for charging without management complexity?

Cloud OCPP monitoring enables per-customer rebilling by the kWh, with consumption tracked station by station. You set your rate, the system measures and bills automatically, with no manual intervention at your reception.

What happens if a station breaks down in the middle of the season?

The stations are covered by a decennial liability insurance policy with AXA, subject to the declared activities, limits and terms of the current insurance certificate. If a problem arises, our after-sales team stays responsive, and remote monitoring often makes it possible to diagnose the incident before a visit is even needed.

How many stations should I install for a mid-sized hotel?

The number depends on your room count, your seasonality and your available electrical supply. During the free audit, we size the fleet to avoid over-investment while still absorbing demand peaks.

Can my electrical installation support several stations at the same time?

Load shedding and dynamic load management intelligently distribute the available power between the stations without exceeding your subscription. In many cases this avoids having to upgrade your connection, which we verify precisely during the audit.

Does Volticom operate everywhere in France for hotels and restaurants?

Yes, we cover the whole country through a network of IRVE-qualified installer partners, from our head office in Paris. Whether your establishment is in a city, on a tourist route or in a rural area, the audit and the quote follow the same framework.

Are the stations electrically safe for public use?

Every installation includes a 30 mA residual-current protection selected for the charger, its DC detection and the manufacturer’s instructions and complies with the NF C 15-100 standard, which protects your guests as well as your establishment. For any technical question, you can reach us on 09 55 92 66 32 or at contact@volticom.fr.

Your quote within 48 hours after a complete brief, across France

Free assessment by a QUALIFELEC-qualified IRVE installer, anywhere in France.

Start my quote 09 55 92 66 32

QUALIFELEC IRVE · AXA decennial liability insurance

Written by

Maxime Le Bourgeois

Technical Director, IRVE · EV Charging Infrastructure Expert

Maxime oversees the technical aspects and NF C 15-100 compliance of EV charging station installations at Volticom.

Official sources and verification

Sources consulted for this article, in French unless stated otherwise. Regulations and schemes may change: check the version in force before deciding.