When businesses think about EV charging, the focus often lands on the chargers themselves - speed, power and hardware.

But the most important factor is something much simpler: how long people actually stay on site.

In hotels and leisure environments, dwell time shapes everything. It determines not only what type of chargers are needed, but how they should be used, where they should be placed and what kind of experience they create for guests. Designing EV charging around dwell time is what separates infrastructure that simply exists from infrastructure that genuinely works.

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Understanding Guest Behaviour

To design EV charging properly, it’s important to look at how different types of guests interact with a site.

At a hotel, overnight guests typically arrive in the afternoon or evening and leave the following morning. Their expectation is simple: plug in once, and wake up to a charged vehicle.

At leisure destinations, such as resorts or holiday parks, dwell time can vary more widely. Some guests may stay for several days, while others visit for a few hours. This creates a need for a balanced mix of charging options that can serve both longer and shorter stays.

By understanding these patterns, businesses can ensure that charging infrastructure feels intuitive rather than restrictive.

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Real-World Examples of Dwell Time in Practice

This approach can be seen in how EV charging has been deployed across a number of Connekt sites.

At Cameron House on Loch Lomond, the charging infrastructure was designed to reflect the varied nature of the resort. With hotel guests, golfers and day visitors all using the site, chargers were positioned across multiple locations to match different dwell times and behaviours.

For overnight guests, destination charging provides a steady, reliable charge throughout their stay. For shorter visits, the addition of rapid charging enables drivers to top up more quickly before continuing their journey.

Similarly, across Verdant Leisure’s holiday parks, charging infrastructure has been installed with longer stays in mind. Guests typically spend extended periods on site, making slower, consistent charging the most practical and cost-effective solution.

In both cases, the success of the installation comes not from the hardware itself, but from how well it reflects the way the site is used.

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What Happens When Dwell Time Is Ignored

When EV charging isn’t designed around dwell time, problems tend to emerge quickly.

Installing rapid chargers in environments where vehicles are parked for hours can lead to unnecessary cost and underutilisation. Conversely, relying solely on slower chargers in high-turnover areas can create frustration for drivers who need a quicker charge.

In some cases, poor planning results in chargers being occupied for long periods without meeting actual demand, reducing availability and impacting the overall experience.

These issues are rarely caused by the technology itself. More often, they stem from a mismatch between the infrastructure and the behaviour of the people using it.

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Designing Charging That Fits the Site

The most effective EV charging strategies begin with a simple question: how long do people stay here?

From there, the right mix of charger types, locations and capacity can be determined. This ensures the infrastructure supports both current usage and future demand, without overengineering the solution.

It also allows businesses to balance performance with practicality - delivering a reliable service for guests while managing cost, power requirements and operational simplicity.

For hotels and leisure venues, this often means prioritising:

• Accessible, well-located chargers
• Reliable destination charging for longer stays
• Scalable infrastructure that can grow with demand
• A seamless experience that doesn’t require staff intervention

When these elements are aligned, EV charging becomes a natural extension of the guest experience.

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Charging That Works Because It Fits

As EV adoption continues to grow, businesses are under increasing pressure to provide charging. But simply installing chargers is not enough.

The real value comes from designing a solution that reflects how the site operates, and dwell time is at the centre of that.

When charging is aligned with how long people stay, it works quietly in the background. Guests charge when they need to, without friction or complexity, and businesses benefit from infrastructure that supports their long-term goals.

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Book a Call

If you’re considering EV charging for your hotel or leisure site and want to understand what would work best, the starting point is understanding your site’s dwell time.

Book a call with Connekt to explore how EV charging can be designed around your guests, your site and your business objectives.

Because the right solution isn’t about installing more chargers - it’s about installing the right ones.

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