Capsules, Pods, and Packets: How the Coffee In Your Hotel Rooms Affects Guest Experience
When designing an in-room coffee program, most hotel operators think about the machine — focusing on one that’s easy to clean, easy to use, and meets guest expectations.
A secondary consideration is how the coffee grounds are placed in the machine. The format of the unbrewed coffee can impact flavor, sanitation, waste, and cost in ways you won’t see on the coffee maker’s spec sheet.
This guide is to help hospitality operators decide which format of ground coffee makes the most sense for their property.
Hotel Room Coffee Formats
The most common formats for in-room coffee makers are disposable filter packs, soft pods, and hard capsules. Some luxury properties may also consider aluminum pods and pour-over coffee.
Disposable Filter Packs
Disposable filter packs are convenient for both guests and housekeeping staff, and affordable for a property’s bottom line.
The CV1 single-serve coffee maker uses these packs. Ground coffee is pre-measured, sealed in a disposable filter, and packaged with a disposable brew basket.
Guests simply slidethe brew basket into the machine to brew a cup, and housekeeping throws away used brew baskets during cleaning.
Soft Pods/Coffee Pads
Soft pods, also known as coffee pads, are pouches made of two layers of filter paper, with pre-measured coffee grounds sealed inside.
Soft pods come in both single-serve and multi-cup measurements. Single-serve pods are compatible with soft-pod-specific brewers. Multi-cup pods are compatible with standard drip machines.
Hard Pods/Capsules
Hard-capsule coffee pods are what many guests picture when they think of single-serve coffee.
Pre-measured ground coffee is sealed in a rigid plastic or plant based (can you insert a link to the Third Rock Coffee if they click on plant based?) capsule. Before brewing, the pod brewer punctures the bottom of the cup and the foil seal on top.
Hard capsules are easy for guests to use and easy for housekeeping staff to dispose of. Because the cup is punctured while brewing, housekeeping should check the machine for loose grounds while cleaning.
Aluminum Pods
Aluminum pods are specifically designed for luxury high-pressure coffee makers. They accommodate the size options available on high-pressure machines, from espresso size to traditional 16-ounce cups.
Aluminum pods can be recycled, though not through traditional mixed recycling. Aluminum pod coffee involves a higher cost of ownership, but provides a premium experience for guests at a luxury property.
Pour-Over Coffee
Pour-over coffee pouches and coffee bags are steeped in hot water like tea bags. This offers guests a high level of customization over how strong their coffee is, but also introduces wide variability in coffee quality, since flavor is affected by guests’ choice of water temperature and steep time.
Pouches and bags are uncommon in hospitality settings. In part, this is because they tend to have a higher cost per cup. They are also less convenient, as they require a tea kettle or some other mechanism to boil water. Finally, requiring guests to handle extremely hot water introduces a safety concern single-serve coffee makers don’t have.
What to Consider When Choosing Your Hotel’s In-Room Coffee
The top considerations when deciding what coffee format to offer in your property’s rooms are cost, ease of use, housekeeping effort, quality consistency, and waste.
Cost & Usage
When budgeting for coffee, don’t stop at unit price. Factor in usage rates, the labor involved in restocking and cleaning up.
| Filter packs | Soft pods | Hard capsules |
|---|---|---|
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Ease of Use
About one in five Americans says they believe they’re addicted to caffeine. Don’t make it a struggle for guests to get their morning cup of joe.
| Filter Packs | Soft Pods | Hard Capsules |
|---|---|---|
| Designed for simplicity: one piece, one step, dispose | Guests may be confused about whether or not to tear open the packet | No mess, guests are most likely to be familiar with this format |
Housekeeping Effort
The less housekeeping staff has to do to maintain the in-room coffee maker, the faster they can work and the more sanitary each guest’s cup.
| Filter Packs | Soft Pods | Hard Capsules |
|---|---|---|
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Quality Consistency
All coffee formats can deliver a high-quality cup of coffee. Flavor is determined by the coffee and its freshness, not by how grounds are delivered to the machine.
Single-serve options have greater cup-to-cup consistency than multi-cup pots because no cup goes stale on the warming plate.
The most inconsistency is found in coffee bags. The temperature of the water guests pour over and the length of time they let the bag steep can both dramatically affect the flavor from cup to cup.
Waste
For properties building an eco-conscious brand or applying for sustainability certifications, waste is an important consideration.
| Filter Packs | Soft Pods | Plastic Hard Capsules | Aluminum Hard Capsules |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disposable brew basket is made of PP#5 plastic, recyclable where facilities exist | Compostable options are available for a premium price | Commercially compostable options exist. There are also recyclable options where facilities exist to recycle PP#5 | Can be recycled for a premium price |
Choosing the Right Coffee for Your Property Type
The type of coffee you choose for your in-room coffee program is largely determined by your property tier. Guests hold specific expectations and operators have specific priorities for each type of hotel.
Limited Service and Economy Hotels
In a limited service or economy property, guest expectations are simple: an accessible, high-quality, no-frills cup of coffee that’s easy to make.
Operator priorities are on operational consistency, cost control, and housekeeping efficiency. The less variation from room to room, the better.
RECOMMENDED COFFEE: Disposable filter packs
Filter packs prepackaged with a disposable brew basket check all the boxes. They’re simple for guests to use, easy to audit and restock at scale, are lower cost and less usage per stay, and offer housekeeping staff the fastest and easiest cleanup.
Mid and Upscale Hotels
In a mid or upscale-tier property, operators are balancing operational costs with the guest experience.
Guest expectations are still fairly simple, but operators can create a moment of unexpected delight by offering more custom options in premium or loyalty-tier rooms.
RECOMMENDED COFFEE: Mix of disposable filter packs and hard capsules
In a mid-tier hotel, disposable filter packs are a solid baseline for standard rooms as they meet guest expectations with reduced housekeeping effort.
For premium and loyalty-tier rooms, operators can swap in hard capsules. The wider variety of beverages and ability to brew brand-name coffee meet guest expectations for a more premium experience in these rooms.
Upper-Upscale, Boutique, Premium Full Service, and Luxury Hotels
At hotels in the highest tier, operators’ main priority is the guest experience. Guests expect a high-end, premium experience, and coffee is part of the brand story.
RECOMMENDED COFFEE: Hard capsules or aluminum pods
Single-serve hard pod coffee makers with a well-presented capsule station signal luxury. Operators can offer a wider variety of beverage options in each room, creating the personal customization guests expect.
Extended Stay
For operators of extended-stay hotels, the priority is making each guest feel at home while minimizing waste and operational overhead.
RECOMMENDED COFFEE: Disposable filter packs or soft pods
For extended-stay properties that use single-serve machines, filter packs offer guests a convenient morning brew while limiting wasted coffee, controlling cost, and housekeeping labor.
If your property opts for 4-cup in-room coffee makers, soft pods offer an easy way to brew a pot without measuring or mess.
Hotel Guests Care About the Coffee Experience
Across property types, the only amenity hotel guests care about more than coffee is WiFi. Operators who cater to the desire for quality coffee are the ones who generate return visitors and four-star reviews.
Your in-room coffee program includes the machine, the format, and the coffee itself, and all three elements matter to the guest experience.
The best format for your unique property is the one you can execute consistently, that fits your cost structure, and that meets your guests’ expectations. Talk to one of our experts to design the perfect in-room coffee service for your hotel.