New - and safe - ways to serve coffee

How important is coffee? As travel came to a virtual standstill and hotels frantically incorporated an endless series of new norms, examining how best to serve coffee became a pandemic priority. Simply put, coffee is an amenity guests will not give up.

As the hospitality business picks up the pace, guests are navigating changes prompted by COVID and the art of preparing coffee, whether it is being served by a barista or by themselves in their hotel room.

Either way, it has changed, but F&B and housekeeping departments are doing a great job putting guests at ease with new safety measures while not jeopardizing the experience of a good cup of coffee.

The following are a few changes a property can implement to make sure it remains a satisfying and safe experience:

• Protect on/off brewer buttons, dispenser handles and countertops with safe-touch overlays preventing the buildup of microorganisms.
• Have baristas wear full aprons, gloves and masks.
• Suspend the use of ceramic or porcelain mugs and replace with single-use, individually wrapped to-go cups.
• Replace dual-walled or insulated cups with single-walled cups, allowing hotels to discontinue the use of individual cup sleeves.
• Use individually wrapped cups and lids for foodservice and in-room use. Many cups are now being upgraded with FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper, a biodegradable interior liner and water-based ink. It’s best if wrapper itself is biodegradable as well.
• Replace bulk condiment canisters with biodegradable pre-packaged condiments.
• Use wooden, individually wrapped stir sticks.
• Liquid creamer or milk is offered in single-use capsules rather than a bulk dispenser.
• Alleviate guest concerns about clean coffee brewers by having housekeeping place a cover marked “disinfected” over the brewer after servicing the room, or by placing a tent card within the coffee display.

The key strategy to serving coffee with the utmost of safety is by covering or wrapping as many of the touchpoints as possible. In fact, I believe that the safest place for guests to prepare and enjoy a cup of coffee is in the privacy of their guest room, primarily due to the limitation of traffic that tends to surround the order and preparation area.

Recently, I have found myself wondering if this why so many chains are updating their 2021 in-room coffee programs with impressive new additions guaranteed to make guests feel as though they’ve encountered their very own candy store!

Whether in the lobby or guestroom, what changes have you experienced or appreciated as it relates to getting a cup of coffee? I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Sherri Scheck-Merrill, vice president, Amenity Services, Tustin, California

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