EV charger at your hotel: is it mandatory, can you charge for it, and how to list it so AI and Google know (2026)

Updated: 9 November 2026

More and more guests arrive by electric car and ask before booking: "can I charge?". An AI assistant can only say "yes" if your charger appears in the data it reads. Here is what we checked in official sources (links at the end) and what we could not. This is not legal advice: for your case, ask your installer or adviser.

Is a charger mandatory in Spain?

It depends on your car park:

Car park with more than 20 spaces in a non-residential building (a hotel is one): Royal Decree-Law 29/2021 (art. 4) required, before 1 January 2023, one charging station per 40 spaces or fraction, up to 1,000 spaces.
Protected buildings are excluded if the installation would unacceptably alter their character or appearance, as decided by the heritage authority.
New buildings and certain renovations: the Spanish Building Code has a section HE6 (Royal Decree 450/2022) with minimum charging infrastructure. Ask your architect which figures apply.
Car park of 20 spaces or fewer: we found no general obligation in these rules.

What is coming from the EU (2026-2027)

The EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EU 2024/1275) strengthens charging. According to the European Commission:

From 30 May 2026, new or majorly renovated non-residential buildings must have a minimum number of charging points, with the other spaces prepared. Offices: one point per 2 spaces.
From 1 January 2027, non-residential buildings with large car parks must have charging points or ducting.
Each country sets the exact figures when transposing the directive. Watch for updates to your national rules.

Portugal, Italy and Greece

Portugal: Decree-Law 93/2025 creates a new e-mobility regime with "ad hoc" charging, without prior registration or contract. Decree-Law 155/2026 extends the transition from the old model to 31 December 2027. We have not confirmed how many points it requires of a hotel.
Italy and Greece: we did not find the national car park obligation in a citable official source. The EU directive applies there too; ask your technician.

Can you charge for charging?

Free for guests is the simplest option and a good selling point.
If the point is publicly accessible, the EU AFIR regulation (EU 2023/1804) requires ad hoc electronic payment, without registration or contract. Cash only is not enough. An app that requires registration does not comply. A static QR code may comply if payment is secure.
Is a guests-only charger "publicly accessible"? We have not confirmed this in an official source. Check with your installer or charge point operator before charging third parties.
In Portugal, if you charge for it, check with your operator how it fits the Decree-Law 93/2025 regime.

Is there funding?

Spain's MOVES III: we have not confirmed in an official source whether it accepts applications in 2026. Ask your regional government.
In September 2026 Spain's ministry (MITECO) opened a consultation on a new EUR 150 million programme for publicly accessible charging on roads. It targets corridors, not a typical hotel car park.

List it so AI and Google know

A charger nobody knows about brings no bookings. Publish the same information everywhere:

Google: Google's lodging data format has an "Electric car charging stations" attribute under parking. In your Business Profile: Edit profile, "Hotel details", search for the attribute and save.
Your website: in the hotel's schema.org markup (Hotel or LodgingBusiness) add amenityFeature, for example: "amenityFeature": [{"@type": "LocationFeatureSpecification", "name": "Electric vehicle charging", "value": true}].
OpenStreetMap (free): tag the point amenity=charging_station, access=customers if guests only, capacity (cars at once), connector type with socket:*, fee=yes or fee=no and operator.
Open Charge Map (free, non-profit, open data): you can add the point; private homes are not accepted.
Booking.com and other platforms: tick it in their facilities list. We did not find Booking.com's official help on this facility.
Always give the details: power in kW, connector type, how many cars, whether it must be booked, and whether it is free or paid.

10-minute check

Count your spaces: if more than 20 in Spain, check you have one station per 40.
Note the charger's power, connector and price.
Tick the attribute in your Google Business Profile.
Add amenityFeature to your website and the point to OpenStreetMap.
Check that website, listings and platforms say the same.

How iQuota helps

iQuota publishes your price and availability on a page AI assistants can read. Tell us whether you have a charger and on what terms: having the same information on your website, on Google and on iQuota keeps it consistent. We do not promise rankings or recommendations.

Want an official booking page AI can read and a connector with your real prices, commission-free? The first 30 hotels join free until 30 June 2027.

See the Founding Hotels programme

Frequently asked questions

Does my Spanish hotel with 30 parking spaces need a charger?

Yes: Royal Decree-Law 29/2021 requires one station per 40 spaces or fraction in car parks of more than 20 spaces in non-residential buildings, since 1 January 2023. So at least one.

Can I charge guests for EV charging?

We found no ban. If the point is publicly accessible, it must accept electronic payment without registration (AFIR). If it is for guests only, ask your installer how to bill it.

How does Google know I have a charger?

Tick the EV charging attribute in your Business Profile and add amenityFeature to your website's schema.org markup.

Sources

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