Knoxville, Tennessee – January 10, 2011 – Out of town visitors and local travelers in the Knoxville area now have more fueling options for their Electric Vehicles (EV). Four Knoxville area green hotels operated by Kana Hotel Group are doing their part to help to build the EV Charging network. Eight charging stations positioned in preferred parking spaces have now been installed.
“We worked with ECOtality to install Level 2 charging stations at four of our Knoxville area hotels. Providing travelers green fueling options as they visit Knoxville is the next step in our sustainability efforts. It’s exciting to be part of a large undertaking like the EV Project. The charging stations will be the perfect addition to all of the green practices that we already implemented in our hotels. Aside from Knoxville, we have also installed them at our two Nashville area locations” said Kevin Mahoney President – Kana Hotel Group
Only a few short years ago, the idea of a green Holiday Inn in Clinton, TN or green Hampton Inn in Lenoir City, TN was almost unimaginable. Today it is a reality. Kana worked with EcoGreenHotel to implement water and energy conservation measures to dramatically reduce operational costs through the use of energy management systems and create some of the greenest hotels in the Knoxville area.
Tennessee is one of seven regions in the U.S. participating in the EV project, which is managed by electric vehicle charge company ECOtality. The $230 million project, partially funded with $114.8 million in Department of Energy grants, intends to bring 14,000 charging stations to 18 cities by next summer. www.EVProject.com
In Tennessee, the project will seek to connect three cities–Nashville, Chattanooga, and Knoxville-by covering about 425 miles with home and public charging stations, including those on the highway corridors between the cities.
“The day is coming when many travelers will choose their overnight hotel based on whether or not it has a charging station in the parking lot. In addition to the EV Project there are also companies such as U-Go Stations that make it possible for a green hotel to add a EV Station as an amenity and add a revenue stream with little or no cost out of pocket.“ Scott Parisi President – EcoGreenHotel
At these four Knoxville area hotels the charging stations will be offered as an amenity at no cost to overnight guests. Non-Guest EV owners who are passing through and need to re-charge will be able to pay with a credit card.
With installations completed, you can now charge your vehicle at:
- West of Knoxville at the Hampton Inn Lenoir City -585 Ft. Loudon Medical Center Dr., Lenoir City 37772
- East of Knoxville at Exit 398 at the Holiday Inn Express Knoxville – East – 730 Rufus Graham Road, Knoxville 37924 & the Hampton Inn Knoxville – East 7445 Sawyer Road, Knoxville 37924
- North of Knoxville at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites – 111 Hillvale Road, Clinton 37716
To hear more about EcoGreenHotel’s sustainable solutions for hotels contact us at info@EcoGreenHotel.com
About Kana Hotel Group
Kana Hotel Group is headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee with a Southern Regional Office located in Tampa, FL. KHG is an award winning hotel ownership, development, and management company providing comprehensive development and management services to the Hotel industry. Their current portfolio consists of 22 properties located in nine states, with 5 others currently under development. Kana’s portfolio includes the following leading brands: Marriott International, Inc., Hilton Worldwide, and InterContinental Hotel Group. For further information about our Award Winning hospitality management services please contact us at 865-560-5102.www.kanahotelgroup.com
About EcoGreenHotel
EcoGreenHotel LLC (Knoxville, TN), is a privately held company dedicated to helping lodging facilities address a broad spectrum of sustainability issues. The company provides information, tools, checklists, current news and trends to the hospitality industry through its website, www.EcoGreenHotel.com. The company also runs an online marketplace for green products and services atwww.EcoGreenHotelStore.com. In addition to the online offerings, EcoGreenHotel provides customized consulting services tailored to the needs of the hospitality industry in the areas of energy efficiency and certifications, including LEED, Green Seal and Energy Star. For those properties that have reached certified levels of sustainability, EcoGreenHotel assists with marketing services to position the properties within the growing “green” space and enhance revenue. For further information, email info@EcoGreenHotel.com or call 888-229-0213.
