Timeshare Information

Green Lodging News has posted an online article titled "EV Charging Stations Popping Up to Meet Needs of Green Travelers." Very soon, when you plan your timeshare vacation and your car rental, you'll be able to go Green by using an Electric Vehicle (EV).

EV charging stations are beginning to show up across the United States as an increasing number of auto makers release electric vehicles to the public. The U.S. Department of Energy projects that one million EVs will be on the road by 2015. According to Pike Research, by that same year, access to vehicle charging will be available at nearly one million charge points in the United States, including many resorts such as Wyndham.

According to Green Lodging News, accommodating this new breed of Green traveler presents some new challenges for resort companies. How many stations should be installed? Where? At what cost? Should they be a new source of revenue or a complimentary guest amenity?

There are many EV charging station vendors from which to choose already. Companies such as Coulomb Technologies, ParkPod, and Green Garage Associates are a few that were mentioned in press releases sent to Green Lodging News.

Cost for the resort will vary depending on the EV station model purchased and the location of the property. In addition to the actual station, there are installation costs. According to Lawrence Hindle, director of engineering for Ritz-Carlton, an electrical permit is required to install a charging station, and the cost can be between $10,000 and $15,000.

Late last year the Hertz Corp. and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. announced a joint partnership to bring in Hertz Global EV, a program developed by Hertz using 100 percent electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, to key Starwood hotels and resorts in North America.

“Hertz’s partnership with Starwood is a natural step in the development of our Global EV program,” said Mark P. Frissora, Hertz chairman and CEO, in a press release. “As we expand our EV network, we are providing drivers with point-to-point access to EVs and EV charging stations. Our relationship with Starwood provides guests from all over the world with access to the future of mobility.”

Charging stations can also be a highly visible symbol of a property’s environmental commitment. Green Garage Associates’ Martin says his company’s Juice Bar stations, which are eight feet tall and two feet wide, can even be used as miniature billboards - a branding opportunity for a lodging establishment.

Read this article in its entirety here.

(Photo credit - ev-chargeamerica.com)

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., has announced it has added comprehensive, online booking capabilities in Chinese to all of its Starwood-branded websites, including SPG.com. Now, Chinese speakers can use double byte Chinese characters to search for a hotel, make reservations, retrieve booking information or enroll in the Starwood Preferred Guest® program. This added capability underscores the importance of China to Starwood’s future growth.

On track to be the world’s largest tourism market by 2015, China is already Starwood’s second largest hotel market with 70 existing hotels and more than 80 in the pipeline. One of every three new Starwood hotels is slated to open in China now through the end of 2011, including new brand flagships for eight of its nine brands. Meanwhile, China continues to lead the growth of the award-winning Starwood Preferred Guest program, representing the second largest market for SPG.

“It is essential that we provide a seamless experience for our Chinese customers, especially at a time when China’s heightened appetite for our high-caliber global brands is having a phenomenal impact on our business,” said Phil McAveety, Chief Brand Officer for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

“Starwood is the world’s most global hotel company with more than 80% of all future hotels and resorts opening outside the United States. By communicating directly with our global customers, we make it easy for them to connect with our brands.”

To meet growing demand, Starwood opened the largest Customer Contact Center of any international hotel company operating in China, in 2009. Located in Guangzhou, the center employs more than 160 associates to support Chinese-speaking customers traveling to Starwood’s more than 1,000 hotels around the world. Starwood is also the only hospitality company in China that provides 24-hour customer support, 365 days a year, for its Chinese-speaking customers.

“Due to the strong growth of our online customer base in China, we have enhanced our branded websites to offer a superior online experience for Chinese speakers,” said Miguel Ko, Chairman & President, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Asia Pacific. “Our mission has always been to listen to our customers and to stay ahead of changing trends and needs.”

With the addition of Chinese, Starwood now offers websites in eight languages including English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, French and Japanese. One fifth of the world’s population, or more than one billion people, speak some variety of Chinese.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and resort companies in the world with 1025 properties in 100 countries and territories, and with 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties.

(Photo credit - oklahoma.possibleworldwide.com)