Project Background
The electric vehicle market in the UAE has expanded rapidly since 2022, driven by government incentives, the removal of EV import duties, and a significant increase in the availability of BEV models from European and Asian manufacturers favoured in the UAE premium segment. Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) projected that EVs would represent 30% of all new car registrations in the emirate by 2026 — a target that is now considered conservative given actual sales trends in 2023.
For luxury hotel operators, EV charging has shifted from a sustainability PR point to a genuine booking criterion. Landmark Hospitality Group, operating three five-star properties in Dubai (two in Downtown Dubai and one on Jumeirah Beach Road), identified through their 2023 guest preference survey that 34% of guests arriving by personal vehicle were driving electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles. Critically, 22% of all guests stated that the availability of in-hotel charging would directly influence their hotel selection decision.
The infrastructure gap was clear: two of the three properties had a single Level 2 charging unit each — insufficient for the number of EVs arriving and creating a negative experience for guests whose vehicles arrived with low charge after long drives from Abu Dhabi or the northern emirates.
Specification and Supplier Selection
Landmark Hospitality’s property management team evaluated charging suppliers in Q4 2023, shortlisting three vendors. The assessment criteria prioritised:
- Guest experience — quiet operation, modern HMI, QR code and card payment, reliable connectivity
- Energy management — OCPP compatibility with the existing building management system, load balancing to avoid demand charge spikes
- Aesthetic — wall-mounted units suitable for valet-managed basement parking, with clean enclosure design
- Certification — CE marking and IP54 minimum for basement installations; IP65 for the Jumeirah property’s outdoor surface car park
Klitv was selected for the 22 kW AC wall box units on the basis of the product’s 8-inch LCD touch screen, OCPP 1.6 compatibility (matching the existing BMS integration capability), and the manufacturer’s ability to deliver custom firmware with the Landmark Hospitality brand splash screen and Arabic/English bilingual interface. The 60–80 kW DC fast chargers were specified for the outdoor surface car park at the Jumeirah property, where guests and visitors with longer-range EV models could top up during shorter visits.
The finalised technical specification:
- 30 units of 22 kW AC Level 2 wall box — distributed 12 / 10 / 8 across the three properties; tethered Type 2 cables for convenience; OCPP 1.6; IP54; bilingual HMI
- 4 units of 60–80 kW DC charging pile — installed at the Jumeirah outdoor car park; CCS2 + Type 2 AC output; IP65; OCPP 1.6; QR code payment linked to the hotel’s PMS billing system
OEM Customisation
A notable feature of this project was the level of firmware and interface customisation delivered. Klitv configured the HMI firmware with:
- Landmark Hospitality branded boot screen with the group’s logo and property-specific background image
- Bilingual display — English / Arabic toggle, persistent based on user preference
- PMS integration — charging sessions billed directly to the guest’s room account via API link between the OCPP-compliant CMS and Oracle Opera PMS; no separate payment terminal required
- Guest identification — via RFID card (distributed at check-in) or QR code scan through the hotel’s mobile app
This level of customisation, which previous vendors had quoted as requiring 12+ weeks of development time, was delivered by Klitv within the four-week hardware production window by adapting an existing firmware framework rather than building from scratch.
Installation and Commissioning
Installation across three properties was sequenced to allow phased commissioning without disrupting parking operations. The Klitv technical export team supported the installation via remote video guidance, with a local UAE electrical contractor (certified by DEWA — Dubai Electricity and Water Authority) completing the physical installation.
| Phase | Detail |
|---|---|
| Downtown Property 1 | 12× 22 kW AC: Week 1–2 |
| Downtown Property 2 | 10× 22 kW AC: Week 2–3 |
| Jumeirah Property | 8× 22 kW AC + 4× 60–80 kW DC: Week 4–6 |
| CMS/PMS Integration Testing | Parallel with installation, completed by Week 5 |
| Full Commissioning | Week 6 |
All 34 units were live and billing to PMS by the end of Week 6 — two weeks ahead of the original 8-week project estimate, primarily because the OCPP CMS integration was simplified by Klitv’s provision of pre-tested configuration files for the specific CMS platform in use.
Results: Six Months Post-Launch
Guest Satisfaction The post-stay guest satisfaction survey conducted six months after launch showed a 96% satisfaction score specifically for “vehicle charging facilities” — up from 41% before the installation (when guests with EVs were being directed to public chargers at a nearby shopping centre). The availability of in-hotel charging was cited as a contributing factor to overall satisfaction score improvement across all three properties.
Charging Utilisation Average weekly charging sessions across the 34-unit fleet reached 212 by Month 3 and stabilised at 215–220 by Month 6. Peak utilisation on Friday–Saturday evenings reached 85% of available ports at the Jumeirah property.
Energy Cost Management The load balancing configuration — distributing available current across multiple simultaneous charging sessions based on the building’s real-time demand signal — reduced peak demand charges by 31% compared to an unmanaged charging scenario modelled at commissioning. This equated to an annual energy cost saving of approximately AED 64,000 across the three properties.
Revenue Charging revenue (billed to rooms or paid via QR) totalled AED 38,400 in Month 6 alone, partly offsetting the infrastructure capital expenditure. At current growth rates, Landmark Hospitality projects a payback period of 38 months on the net capex after subsidy.
Client Commentary
“The branded interface was something we considered a luxury initially. We now consider it essential to the guest experience. Guests expect the charging experience to feel like part of the hotel, not a third-party service bolted on. The PMS billing integration also eliminated the operational complexity we feared — the front desk team don’t manage charging at all. It happens automatically.”
— Director of Property Services, Landmark Hospitality Group
Project Specification Summary
| Parameter | Detail |
|---|---|
| Country | United Arab Emirates (Dubai) |
| Properties | 3 five-star hotel properties |
| Total Units | 34 (30× 22 kW AC + 4× 60–80 kW DC) |
| Connector Standards | Type 2 (AC); CCS2 + Type 2 AC output (DC) |
| Protocol | OCPP 1.6 |
| OEM Features | Branded HMI, bilingual UI, PMS billing integration |
| Installation Timeline | 6 weeks across 3 properties |
| Guest Satisfaction Score | 96% |
| Avg Weekly Sessions | 215–220 (Month 6) |
| Demand Charge Saving | 31% via load balancing |
Performance data provided by the client based on their CMS and PMS reporting. Client and property names have been anonymised at the client’s request.