NATIONAL REPORT— One-cup coffeemakers have been making inroads in the hotel industry and some suppliers believe that the brewers may eventually be more common in hotel rooms than the traditional four-cup machines now in use. Some observers maintain the one-cup coffeemakers have previously been slow to catch on because of the education process needed for consumers, especially when it comes to the pod-type brewer. “Coffee drinking is ritualistic behavior and [with the one-cup brewers which use pods of coffee]we’re asking consumers to dramatically change their ritual. The adoption process will take a while,” said Tom Trent, senior director of marketing and sales for Sunbeam Hospitality. The category has yet to really take off at retail, he noted. “It won’t be huge for the next couple of years but it will continue to build and five years from now it could be dominant,” Trent said. Sunbeam Hospitality is about to ship the Mr. Coffee PTC13 one-cup coffeemaker, which it introduced last fall, and is also preparing for the launch of a second brewer. A one-cup coffeemaker by Classic Coffee Concepts, Inc. is being used at many big hotels involved in gaming, according to Paul Brinson, executive vp. The company’s model CC13 brewer uses a disposable filter pack rather than a pod and a disposable cup. “The largest group using our one-cup is the gaming industry, casinos with hotels like The Venetian in Las Vegas, which has 5,000 rooms. The disposable cup and basket saves housekeepers time in the rooms,” Brinson said. Additionally, there are county health regulations that require hotels in Las Vegas to use dishwashers or three-compartment sinks to clean coffeemakers, he noted, making it difficult for the task to be done by housekeepers in the guestroom. “The concern in Clark County relates to health and that the coffeemakers are not being sanitized properly,” Brinson explained. A crackdown by the Clark County officials two years ago was one of the reasons Classic Coffee Concepts introduced the one-cup brewer with a disposable filter and cup, he added. The Classic Coffee Concepts’ one-cup coffeemaker “does seem to flow with gaming— Las Vegas, Mississippi and the Gulf Coast, Atlantic City— because those hotels are so much larger and more labor intensive, and unions [at those properties]specify how many rooms the housekeepers do,” Brinson said. However, while “gaming does seem to be the leader for one-cup, a number of major chains are looking at moving from four-cup to one-cup,” he noted. “The segment we believe it makes the most sense for is full service, those with 250 rooms or more, because of the investment they have in housekeepers and how it reduces their time in the room.” Courtesy Products has had considerable success with its CV1 one-cup coffeemaker in areas like Las Vegas as well as Nashville owing to health regulations and the fact that its product features a disposable brew basket and disposable cup, according to Matt Schwarz, vp and general manager. But it’s not just government officials concerned with the cleanliness of the in-room coffeemakers, Schwarz noted. He cited a recent survey of 500 frequent travelers conducted by the Lindberg Group [see sidebar below]that found 57% of travelers were concerned about the cleanliness of at least one aspect of current in-room coffee systems. In addition to large hotels with gaming activities, Schwarz said the one-cup product has gained acceptance in many other areas as well. Schwarz noted the company has gained distribution in almost all hotel segments, including economy, limited service, full service, and luxury and he attribued much of the distribution to the company’s 100% Columbian Supremo coffee. “The only segment we’re not in is extended stay. They are not tailored to the one-cup product, they have a coffeemaker in the room,” he added. Not surprisingly, cost is impacting which lodging segments are attracted to the one-cup brewers that use pods. “The coffee is more expensive [than with a four-cup brewer]and the actual cost per cup is high for limited service and economy brands. The early adopters seem to be upscale, from full service and up,” said Trent of Sunbeam Hospitality. He put the lowest cost of a case of 250 single-cup pods at $44.99 per case, which translates into 18 cents a cup. With a traditional four-cup coffeemaker, the lowest cost of a case of 200 pouches would be $33.99, translating into 17 cents for each pouch or 6 cents a cup when the pouch yields three eight-ounce cups of coffee. “The coffee in a pod is more expensive than a four-cup pouch but you have to look at cost in use. You stay away from breakage and replacement of the glass carafe and lessen liability” [from injuries as a result of the carafe breaking], Trent said. The pod also brews a much better cup of coffee, he added. As for the coffeemakers, “costs on single-cup pod brewers span a large range, from $16.99 to more than $40, whereas the most popular four-cup models are priced in the range from $20 to $30 with glass carafes,” Trent said. “The cost difference between pod brewers and glass carafe four-cup brewers is not significantly different unless you step up to a higher end, pressure-brewed pod system approaching the $40 range.” “When you look at the costs, pods are expensive for something the hotel generally gives away as a free amenity,” Brinson said. “Apart from the cost, the one-cup pod-type coffeemaker misses the point because when they were first introduced, the idea was to avoid cleaning the brew basket. But they don’t have a disposable brew basket so it still hasn’t resolved the issue of housekeeping taking the time to clean them,” he said. When it comes to making the switch to one-cup coffeemakers, the biggest challenge for hoteliers is that most consumers don’t have them at home, Trent noted. That could mean calls to the front desk from guests confused about the operation of the brewer. “The learning process will take a while longer but the category is going to continue to grow,” Trent said. Whatever type of in-room coffeemaker is offered, attention should be given to the water in the guestroom, Trent said. “Coffee is 98% water. One thing the hotel needs to be aware of is that to improve the taste of the coffee, the water has to be decent quality. It will significantly determine the quality of the coffee no matter what is spent on the coffee itself,” he said.
