Since then, coffee in hotel services has come a long way Hotel As started cooperation for the first time Stumptown Coffee. The coffee industry has widely welcomed this series of collaborations as a good thing, a sign of the industry’s maturation, and hospitality companies are seeing an evolution in traveler expectations when it comes to amenities. And yet here we are at the end of 2025, and for the most part, coffee lovers still think MacGyvering is using a hotel’s drip coffee machine or capsule machine to produce decent warm water.
Over the last decade, travel coffee offerings have improved dramatically. It’s not just that anymore Loot hand sander that fits perfectly AeroPress. We have specialty instant coffee, multiple hand grinder options or, for those dedicated, a portable espresso solution like those from Elegant espressowhich come with their own case.
When traveling, you feel let down when a hotel seemingly focuses solely on its food and cocktail offerings, but limits its coffee to a pod machine. Like coffee in Michelin-starred restaurants, hotel coffee is too often an afterthought rather than something to brag about. However, statistics show a promising trend: a Business Research Insights report predicts that the global hotel and resort coffee market will reach $165.32 billion by 2033 – this year’s valuation is a staggering $97.71 billion. He also cites a report by the US Travel Association which shows that 75% of hotel guests worldwide consider unique coffee a key amenity, and 60% of these guests choose accommodations sourced from local roasters.
in Seoul, Hotel Drip&Drop goes far beyond most hotels: coffee is in its name and is an outstanding partner in everything it offers guests. From the minimalist seating area to the coffee bag and kettle in the rooms, the entire experience has been designed to showcase Korean coffee culture.
Drip&Drop offers both capsule units (beds between beds) and rooms. The hotel deliberately partners with and collaborates with four local roasters to purchase retail bags FourB to create a distinctive blend in a drip bag. Guests staying in the room receive free IV kits, and pod guests can prepare their own cup in the shared lounge. Equipped with a grinder, scale, kettle and drip bag, specialty coffee lovers won’t have to carry their own travel kit. Of course, if guests don’t feel like brewing their own coffee, batch brews are available for them.
“We chose coffee over smoothies or tea because we wanted our guests – 90% of whom are international travelers – to experience a truly local Korean experience,” explains Sooyeon Kim, director of brand strategy at LOG Hotel Groupwhich owns Drip&Drop. Coffee plays a significant role in Koreans’ daily lives, and Koreans drink it throughout the day. So far, the hotel concept has proven successful, he says, and two more locations are planned for next year.
Cleia JunqueiraCEO of The Coffee Connoisseur Collective and consultant, notes that the pace of change in the coffee industry is snail-paced compared to other food and beverage sectors. He works with clients in the hospitality industry to develop unique coffee experiences for guests, including curated pairing sessions, custom drinks that reflect the character of the property and in-room rituals. Of these, Junqueira says pairing sessions are “transformative” and mutually rewarding. “The effect is two-fold: guests are surprised and delighted by the complexity of the coffee, and the property gains a distinctive, memorable experience that is both educational and luxurious.”
This attention to exceptional experiences is consistent with consumer trends toward purchasing from product companies that prioritize value, quality and purposeful sourcing. He notes: “Today’s travelers are increasingly aware of ethical sourcing and sustainability, and a powerful coffee program gives hotels the opportunity to connect with them on a deeper level.”
Personally, I find the hotel coffee bar to be so low that even having a batch brew available at a local roastery seems worth mentioning. Free parking? There’s nothing to see here. Drinking coffee that can stop a caffeine headache? Celebrate and tell a friend. Custom coffee flight with local pastries? I don’t know what I would even do here…write about it?
Disloyaltya travel and dining membership program that was launched by a luxury hotel group Ennismore in 2023, he is banking on this type of exploratory traveler. For $216 a year or $18 a month, membership comes with benefits at any of Ennismore’s global properties and brands, as well as (among other things) a complimentary cup of coffee every day, “a nod to the people who literally work near one of our hotels or cafes,” says founder and co-CEO Sharan Pasricha in Szybka Kompania. “Post-pandemic, we’ve seen a huge shift in people traveling further, staying longer and doing so much more. They’re reassessing what’s significant to them and craving up-to-date adventures.”
Purposefully designed with the UAE culture and local art scene in mind, Hotel Indigo Dubai Downtown created Open Sesame, a concept inside the hotel restaurant. “Coffee is not just a drink, it is a ritual, a connector and a storyteller,” Ines Encarnacao, PR and marketing manager, tells me. “While cocktails and tea have their charms, coffee has the power to bring people together from morning to night in conversations that often turn into collaboration.” As part of its coffee program, Hotel Indigo invited local companies Cafe rider AND B612.
In celebration of International Coffee Day, as part of its efforts to connect with the community, Open Sesame hosted a brewing competition for nearby baristas to showcase their skills. Encarnacao notes that when done right, a great coffee program is woven into every aspect of the guest experience, and in the case of Hotel Indigo, coffee “represents how we tell our story: locally inspired, artistically selected and crafted with intention.”
Junqueira agrees that a successful program must be coherent and fully integrated, and explains: “This type of curation and theater takes coffee from a ‘nice touch’ to a defining moment of luxury.”
If you’re like me and plan trips to fascinating coffee shops, you might as well stay at a self-proclaimed coffee hotel. Earlier this year, based in Rotterdam Man With Coffee Glasses opened the “first in the world” coffee hotelcomplete with residency program for coffee professionals. I’m not sure what constitutes a “coffee hotel” (do boutique hotels on coffee farms not count?), but what distinguishes the Man Met Bril Koffie hotel from Drip&Drop is that the company was first a roastery-café for ten years, before it started its hotel career.
In conclusion, I hope that the trend of luxury coffee experiences in city hotels will spread and become an average experience. I? I still plan to pack a few packs of special instant coffee for emergencies.
