August is National Coffee Month, but it doesn't have to stop here.
As someone who truly enjoys basking in the moment when that first sip of coffee glides across my taste buds, I will confidently declare here in this blog that your hotel's coffee offerings matter.
I can't be the only one who feels this way, right?
According to Full Coffee Roast, as of July 2023, 2 billion cups of coffee are consumed every day, with 1 billion coffee drinkers across the globe.
Needless to say, the coffee-drinking market can be an untapped segment for some hotels.
The article further explains that coffee is a more popular choice over tea in the U.S., Sweden, Argentina, Germany and Brazil.
It's actually the Ritz-Carlton, Atlanta and Grand Hyatt Nashville that inspired/influenced me to purchase my very own Nespresso machine at home.
I recently stayed at these hotels and both had that beautiful machine in the guestrooms. I was in heaven.
The Nespresso pods delivered a smooth taste, a frothy layer on top and just the right amount of caffeine to take on a long day attending a hotel industry conference.
If your hotel isn't in the market to upgrade its in-room coffee machines, tap into the talent of your food-and-beverage team to brainstorm ways to elevate coffee offerings.
Le Meridien St. Louis Clayton in St. Louis, Missouri, for example, partnered with illy Coffee to launch a line of cocktails. Each cocktail was developed by a master mixologist from illy for the hotel's French restaurant and bar, Cafe la Vie.
Drinks include:
- The Lamponi Ginger Beer Cold Brew: It's made with illy cold brew, ginger beer, vodka, raspberry syrup and fresh raspberries.
- The Cherry Vanilla Cocktail: It's made with a classic illy Caffé Latte and combined with vanilla vodka and maraschino syrup.
- The Amore: This drink is made with illy double espresso, Amaretto Disaronno, shaken cream and topped off with brown sugar and coffee beans.
- The Bourbon Cherry Caffe: It's made with illy espresso and combined with bourbon, a dash of bitters, maraschino syrup and a maraschino cherry.
- The Spritz Cold Brew: This drink is made with illy cold brew, prosecco, elderberry liqueur and garnished with a lemon peel.
I think this is not only a great way to treat your guests, but this can also be a successful strategy for drawing in locals, especially if your hotel's F&B venues have street facing entrances.
Get in on the fun with marketing as well. Try seasonal coffee concoctions, themed-drinks — recently many coffee shops where I live created Barbie-themed drinks around the premier of the "Barbie" movie — and show some behind-the-scenes footage on Instagram of your baristas/mixologists making the drinks.
For regular coffee options, the hotel is also supplying rooms with illy-branded coffeemakers for guests to enjoy year-round.
According to Booking.com, hotels that have some of the best coffee in the world include Hotel Sky in Gramado, Brazil; CitizenM Tower of London; CitizenM Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport; Arthotel Munich; Hotel Malcom and Barret in Valencia, Spain; XO Hotels Couture in Amsterdam; Scandic Berlin Potsdamer Platz in Berlin; Motel One Wien-Hauptbahnhof in Vienna; and Meriton Suites Broadhead in Gold Coast, Australia.
Are your hotels getting creative with coffee offerings? I'd love to hear what you're doing!
Send me an email or connect with me on LinkedIn.
The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Hotel News Now or CoStar Group and its affiliated companies. Bloggers published on this site are given the freedom to express views that may be controversial, but our goal is to provoke thought and constructive discussion within our reader community. Please feel free to contact an editor with any questions or concern.