TORONTO—Guests pulling up to the Trump International Hotel & Tower Toronto in environment-friendly automobiles are in for an electrifying experience when they check in, particularly if they happen to be driving a top-of-the-line Tesla.
The Talon International-owned hotel is offering a Trump Enviro package, which gives electric-car drivers more green in their pockets for being green regarding their vehicles. The package includes 15% off the 261-room hotel’s best available rates, complimentary electric vehicle parking and use of two high-power charging stations, one specifically for Tesla Motors’ vehicles.
According to General Manager Mickael C. Damelincourt, he and the staff continually strive to understand what is important to the Trump Toronto guest, putting themselves in the guests’ shoes or, in this case, cars. “We were getting a lot of customers with electric cars—Tesla’s been doing very well in downtown Toronto—and it’s always the same complaint: ‘I cannot charge my car,’ said Damelincourt.
He noted Tesla car owners are spending upwards of $70,000 for the luxury vehicles, yet they are still very limited in terms of an extensive infrastructure for charging the vehicles. “We decided it was time to do something because there’s really a movement; it’s good for the environment. Here’s a company that’s really trying to change the way things are done. Trying to think about the next generation. So we decided we would partner with them.”
Tesla Motors installed the charging stations and Trump Toronto launched the Enviro promotion about four months ago. Asked if the promotion has sparked an increase in occupancy for the hotel, Damelincourt acknowledged, “There’s not been a lot of volume—yet,” as electric-car ownership is currently far from mainstream. “What I see is a customer we already had who’s happier. This has helped consolidate the relationship with that customer. I cannot tell you I’ve seen a swing in occupancy and yield as of yet. I think we’re looking more at the long-term approach. We are not getting 25 electric cars a day; this is not the case. There are not that many cars in the streets yet. It’s more about establishing the base for the guests.”
The GM said the majority of guests driving electric cars, Teslas in particular, are male. “I also see a lot of businesspeople, people who may have bought it for their company,” he said, adding as SUVs go electric, more families may use them. “BMW also just come out with two models, but that’s very recent,” he added.
“Tesla has really innovated, creating a beautiful car. It’s very luxurious inside. Now, over the next two years, you’ll probably see a lot more car manufacturers bringing such new cars on the market, but you see a lot more hybrid that you see electric. Eighty percent of the [electric]cars we’re getting now [at the hotel]are Tesla,” said Damelincourt.
The electric-car promotion is among several sustainable initiatives the Trump International Hotel & Tower Toronto has undertaken. It also has done away with chillers to cool and heat the 65-story building (there are 118 residential units on the top floors). Instead, it uses a system called Enwave.
“Basically we’re using deep water from Lake Ontario to cool and heat our building. We’re saving significant amounts of utility [energy]by doing that. I’ve worked in other [hotels]before, and the amount of electricity consumed with the chillers was significant. Not only that, there’s also CFC emissions. This was probably one of the biggest initiatives—and it cost a lot of money to install—we took for energy conservation,” said Damelincourt. “Utilities in a building like ours can be $150,000 a month. So, we’re talking a significant amount of money. And, the more we can do to 1) save the environment, and 2) reduce expenses—the two are linked—is very important to us.”
—Stefani O’Connor