Why venues add phone charging stations

Every venue owner knows the scene: a guest checks their phone, sees 3 % and starts hunting for a socket, or asks a waiter to charge it behind the bar. Sometimes they simply pay and leave, because without a phone they cannot call a taxi, check an address or answer their messages. A HUBO station turns that moment into a convenience for the guest and an advantage for the venue.

Below you will find what exactly the venue gets, what it needs to provide and how a station is placed, from the first conversation to the day your guests take the first power bank.

Why your guest's phone is your problem too

A phone stopped being just a phone a long time ago. Guests use it to pay, show tickets, find their way home, take photos and message the friends they are meeting. When the battery drops below 10 %, most people start to worry, and it shows at the table.

A flat phone usually leads to one of three things:

• the guest cuts the visit short and leaves early;
• they ask the staff for a charger and a cable, which often are not there;
• they look for a socket and sit somewhere uncomfortable just to be near it.

For the venue that means lost minutes and sometimes lost orders. None of these is good for the venue. A charging station offers a fourth option: the guest charges without leaving the table and without taking up anyone's time.

Start with no investment, then let the station earn for you

A HUBO station is a ready-made service for your guests. The path to a station of your own has two steps:

• Trial: 6 months free with no commitment. HUBO installs, maintains and services the station. It remains HUBO's property, and the rental revenue is HUBO's.
• Your own station: at any time you buy the station and get 70 % of the rental revenue, after payment fees, with no monthly fees. The power banks stay free, and the station price is agreed at a meeting.

So you decide whether to buy the station after you have seen how many rentals it makes at your venue.

Which option suits you better usually becomes clear at the first meeting. It depends on the type of venue, how many people pass through it and how you prefer to work.

What the venue provides

Only space and a 220 V socket. Stations have a built-in 4G modem, so they do not need your internet, a Wi-Fi password or extra cabling. Power use is comparable to an LED TV or a laptop.

Free up your staff

Charging phones behind the bar looks like a small favour, but at a busy time it takes time and attention. Someone has to find a cable, remember whose phone it is, look after it and hand it back to the right person. If something happens to the device, the awkward situation is the venue's.

This is felt most at the busiest hours: evenings at the bar, lunchtime in the restaurant or check-in at a hotel. That is exactly when requests for a charger are most frequent and staff have the least time for them.

With a HUBO station, guests serve themselves. They open the HUBO app, scan the station's QR code, see the price and terms and confirm. Signing up in the app takes about a minute and is done only once. Your staff only point to where the station is and get back to work.

Every power bank has three built-in cables: USB-C, Lightning and micro-USB. That way it fits almost any phone and nobody hunts for the right cable.

Guests stay longer

A guest who can charge their phone on the spot has no reason to leave early. They calmly order another coffee, another drink or a dessert instead of watching the percentage on the screen. For groups this counts twice: if one person has to leave because of their phone, the others often leave too.

There is another point: the power bank is not tied to a socket. The guest takes it to their table and the phone stays in their hand. If they decide to leave, they take the power bank with them and return it to any HUBO station, not necessarily yours. For the guest that is peace of mind; for the venue it is one more reason people remember it fondly.

For the guest a rental costs €2 per 24 hours, with no start fee. Payment is by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay in the app, and the receipt arrives in the app and by email. The venue does not handle rental payments at all.

Safe for the venue

A power bank is released only against a bank card registered in the HUBO app. So the venue carries no risk for lost or unreturned power banks. Responsibility for the equipment lies with HUBO; the venue is only the place where the station stands. Maintenance is HUBO's job too, during the trial and after the purchase: you do not look for a technician or look after the power banks.

The power banks are lithium-polymer with overcharge protection. Each holds 8,000 mAh, which is at least one full charge for most smartphones.

Which station, and where it goes

Small station

The small station is roughly the size of an A4 sheet. It sits on a counter, shelf or bar, where guests can see it and a socket is close by.

Large station

The large station stands on the floor and has a vertical advertising screen. It suits larger spaces such as lobbies, shopping centres and waiting areas. If you are not sure which station fits better, we will choose together once we have seen the space.

Venues that fit

Cafés and bars, restaurants, hotels (in the lobby or by reception), shopping centres, office buildings, gyms and spas, hospitals and stations: anywhere people spend time and their phone may run flat.

We choose the spot together, on site: visible to guests, easy to reach and close to a socket. A good position is half of a station's success.

How to get a station

1. Get in touch. Write to us through the "Contact" page and we arrange a visit.
2. Visit. We come to the venue with the station, explain how the service works and present the terms – the trial and buying the station.
3. Installation. If the terms suit you, we install the station right away – in a spot that works for you and for your guests.
4. Live within an hour. Within an hour of installation your guests can take power banks. We leave stickers and table cards with a QR code and take two minutes to show your staff how it all works.

After that the station runs on its own. Guests see it on site, and the HUBO app also shows it on the map. Maintenance and servicing are HUBO's job, and you get on with what you do best: looking after your guests.