Two Stars - Great Property and Quiet Rooms, Ruined by Useless and Predatory EV Charging…read more
If I were rating solely on the hotel amenities, this would easily be a 4 or 5-star review. The property is relatively new, modern, and very clean. The lobby is sharp, there is a convenient bar/restaurant right off the main entrance, and the complimentary breakfast is solid (standard rotation of eggs, breakfast meats, potatoes, waffle maker, cereal, and oatmeal). Outside, there is a great courtyard patio with lawn bowling that looks like a lot of fun.
The staff was exceptionally friendly at check-in, and the guest rooms are remarkably well-soundproofed. Aside from the continuous bathroom exhaust fan and standard AC noise, the room was whisper quiet. You hear zero hallway traffic, no slamming doors, and not even the housekeeping carts in the morning. The blackout curtains actually deliver pitch-black darkness, the bed was fine (on the firmer side), and practical amenities like the mini-fridge, hanging storage drawers, multiple outlets, and handheld garment steamer were appreciated.
Unfortunately, our stay was completely derailed by the electric vehicle charging setup. We were traveling with two EVs and specifically booked this property because it advertised on-site charging. However, there is zero charging information on their website, and on ChargePoint they are set as private/hidden, so you have no transparency until you pull up.
While having three dual-port ChargePoint pedestals (accommodating six vehicles) looks great on the surface, the actual technical deployment and pricing structure are an absolute disaster:
* Severely Underpowered: These are 14-amp circuits capped at 6.6 kW total per unit. When two vehicles plug into one pedestal, it drops to an abysmal 3.3 kW per vehicle. At that trickle, it would take 24+ hours to charge a modern EV battery. It is functionally useless for overnight hotel charging.
* Misinformation & Asinine Pricing: Desk staff told us the first four hours were free--they are not. They charge a flat $4 per hour. At a 3 to 6 kW split, guests are effectively paying an exorbitant $1.00+ per kWh.
* Escalating Overnight Penalty: Worse, after four hours the rate spikes by an extra $2/hr up to $6 per hour. It's a hotel--guests plug in to charge overnight while sleeping! Forcing guests to wake up in the middle of the night just to unplug and avoid escalating hourly penalties is absurd.
We plugged in briefly, gained barely 1% battery in 45 minutes, and were billed $3.31. We immediately unplugged and drove across the street to the Electrify America DC fast chargers at Walmart instead. We paid 60¢/kWh and were charged to 93% in 35 minutes. Staying plugged in overnight at the hotel would have cost $40+ for practically no range added, whereas proper 11 kW Level 2 hotel chargers normally top a vehicle off overnight for $20-$30.
To hotel ownership: either rip these out entirely and stop claiming you have EV amenities, or fix them. Upgrade the circuits to at least 32 or 40 amps so vehicles actually pull usable power, and switch immediately to per-kWh billing (ideally under 30¢ to 50¢/kWh) instead of hourly rates. Charging by the hour on split 14-amp hardware is the most backward setup in the industry, and it ruins an otherwise solid stay. We will not be back until this is resolved.
