One-cup coffee trend hot for guestrooms

Convenience: The Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers has a minibar built into the wall in every guestroom with snacks, drinks and coffee service.

Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers completed the first phase of its $150-million renovation project and with that completion came a new way for guests to experience their morning coffee while away from home.

Along with the previously featured minibar, guestrooms now have Starbucks one-cup brewers and complimentary coffee.

“About 84 percent of the guests want coffee,” said Mark Sanders, GM of the Sheraton New York. “One of the beauties of the one-cup coffeemakers is not having to clean a whole lot of pots. We have the Starbucks cups right there and it helps when it comes to housekeeping.”

The Sheraton New York’s minibars and one-cup coffeemakers are just as important as room size and conference space when it comes to customer satisfaction, Sanders said.

“We are a full-service hotel, and I think it’s important to provide that service for our guests,” Sanders said. “People wake up with their coffee or tea and this makes it simple to use and it’s quantity measured. It speaks to being a full-service hotel and it works for us.”

Sanders said financially, minibars were the best choice for the property. The minibars are stocked with familiar brands, and Sanders said they made sure it was the same familiarity and simplicity with their coffee service.

“When we take a look at the minibar, you may see brands like Nestle bottled water or Fiji bottled water,” Sanders said. “We wanted to be right in the middle of that because those are brands people recognize.”

In the minibar area, a snack trade drawer also has been added during the first phase of renovations. The second phase of renovations—scheduled to begin in December and completed by April 2012—will include updates to remaining guestrooms.

Smaller systems, less cleaning time

GMs have various in-room coffee service options to choose from to please their guests. The same old automatic drip coffeemakers with a coffee pot are almost obsolete with other systems that are easier to use and housekeeper-friendly becoming more popular.

Management of the Travelodge Seattle near the Space Needle recently decided to rid the hotel of the coffee pot and transition to one-cup coffee makers. For regular guest rooms, the hotel has new Guest Supply one-cup coffeemakers with the Guest Supply line of coffee brands. For VIP rooms, the hotel is transitioning to Starbucks one-cup coffee brewers.

Chris Tudor, GM for Travelodge Seattle said that previously, a few guests have commented about the coffee pots in the guest rooms. Since the transition started in early 2011, they’ve received a more positive response.

“We started the conversion to one-cup brewers in the spring. I’d say we’re about 50 percent done with the conversion,” Tudor said. “I’ve heard a comment or two from guests about the coffee pots in the past, but now they’re saying the one- cup is easy to use and they love it.”

The newer coffee service systems are also cutting down on cost and housekeeping duties.

“We don’t have to worry about cleaning the pots or even breakage anymore,” Tudor said. “It’s making their [housekeepers] lives easier. The cost is also cut because when it came down to it, the one-cup was cheaper than the pot.”

Housekeeping has no complaints about the change that seems to be happening at many properties in the hospitality world. Kathy Burnes, executive housekeeper at the Marriott Denver Airport, said the coffee set-up for their guestrooms is much quicker and easier to clean since the change.

“With the other coffeemakers we would have to clean the coffee pot with coffee pot cleaners. Not only did we have to clean the coffee pots, we also had to clean the coffeemaker,” Burnes said. “Now, there’s no coffee pot to clean. It cuts down on cleaning time because there aren’t any pots. I would say right now it takes less than a minute to clean the one-cup coffeemaker.”

Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers recently renovated and expanded 1,080 guestrooms and grand suites in its facility, adding a Starbucks one-cup coffeemaker to every room in addition to the minibars that were previously built into the walls.

“In addition to the minibar, we have a Starbucks one-cup coffeemaker,” said Mark Sanders, GM. “When we made the renovations, that was something we added where it’s already set up and ready to go without having to look for an outlet.”

Newer coffeemakers are easier to use and more preferable among hotel guests—so much so that the automatic drip may be permanently a thing of the past.

“As a consumer and a GM, I think the one-cup brewers are the trend,” Tudor said. “ It’s what everyone is going to want—not the pots.”

Java consumption, pod use increase in 2011

Despite the ups and downs of the economy, the consumption of coffee—of all flavors and brands—is on the rise in 2011. Whether in their own homes with their personal coffeemakers or in the many coffee shops sprinkled on the streets of every U.S. city, people are still enjoying their fair share of the brew.

According to research conducted by the National Coffee Assn., 40 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 24 drink coffee daily—an increase from 31 percent in 2010. Fifty-four percent of adults between the ages of 25 and 39 said they drink coffee every day—up from 44 percent in 2010. These statistics are associated with research revealing that 29 percent of people ages 18 to 39 felt more financially secure than in 2010, while other age groups did not share this feeling about their financial situations.

Along with regular caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, people are also spending a few extra dollars on gourmet coffee, according to NCA research. Gourmet coffee is a significant portion of annual coffee consumption. Thirty-seven percent of coffee consumed this year was gourmet — showing that consumers maintain their desire for quality coffee despite the status of the economy.

Though the consumption of gourmet coffee is steadily increasing, the majority of coffee drinkers make their own “cups of Joe” at home. Eighty-six percent of coffee consumers said they enjoy their daily coffee in their own homes, compared to only 24 percent who drink coffee outside of their homes. These statistics include coffee consumers who drink the beverage in their home as well as other locations.

Research shows that coffee consumers are becoming more interested in single coffee service in their own homes. The at-home coffee market continues to increase by at least 1 percent each year. In the first six months of 2011, 36 percent of coffee drinkers purchased a pod system for their coffee needs.

NCA predicted that purchasers of the pod system are more likely to use it in their homes and replace their old coffee brewers. Coffee consumers are even more aware of one-cup coffee brewers. NCA reports that 45 percent of coffee drinkers think the one-cup coffee system is excellent or very good—an increase from 26 percent in 2007.

Because of these results, deciding on what in-room coffee service is right for a property is an important consideration. With coffee consumption on the rise, coffee services will continue to evolve.