Kettles

As far as I can recall every hotel I've stayed in has had a kettle, but I rarely use them. I occasionally use them in the early evening when working on Email or whatever, on occasions where I didn't get a coffee after dinner. I've been packing Starbucks "instant" coffee along on more recent trips, so at least I can use the kettle to heat up the water.

I tend to get my caffeine at breakfast, and often need at least two cups to "get the heart started".

The British plug-in kettle pot, for almost instant boiling water, is perhaps the finest UK invention in the past century. We’re usually in B&B’s now, many of which have had a communal electric kettle. Hotels in the past 20 years have all had one in the room, as I recall. This includes one in Belfast 2 years ago, and one in Manchester the year before that.

One London hotel, recommended by Rick Steves back in 1999, but no longer a recommendation, even though they’re still operating, had no kettle hot pot. It only had a full ashtray in the room, along with a sink, and the toilet was down the hall. Walls as thin as paper. Indifferent check-in staff. Cheap, close to Victoria Station, and a nice neighborhood, but the place was a dump. A hostel might have been an improvement. We moved to another hotel down the street.

Unless you’re in a place like that one we had for one night 21 years ago, I’d wager your room will come with an electric kettle, and some tea bags. Eschew any instant “coffee” until you can get a proper cup.

And I recall a post on this forum a while ago, about someone who either used the pot to wash their socks, or found a wet sock in theirs. Might want to rinse it out before you heat up your water! 😄

I stayed in a rather posh London hotel 4 or 5 years ago that did not have a kettle in the room — only a Nespresso machine. That was annoying.

In addition, the Hub Hotels by Premier Inn don’t have kettles in the room. I always make sure to bring my immersion coil heater when I stay at one of them (so far London and in Edinburgh). That’s to be expected though as it’s no frills and a way of keeping costs down (there is always coffee/tea available downstairs, but I too like to have a cup without having to get out of my pj’s!).

I think the only one I have been in was the Titanic hotel in Liverpool (rather posh) and it only had a coffee pod machine,I was only staying one night so if there was a kettle I did not see it.I have stayed in numerous hotels all over the country and can't remember any place not having a kettle

Ditto the others’s experiences. In my experiences throughout the British Isles most have a kettle with tea bags and instant coffee while a few have the coffee pod machines.

Over the past 20+ years of visiting the UK, mainly London for work, I have always had a kettle in the room even at the posh places and the international chain places. I don't think I would know what to do if there wasn't one in the room. :-)

As for instant coffee, the ones I find in UK hotels are far superior to what I have found in the US, and even better than the Starbucks instant which is the best I have found in the US as far as my taste and strength preferences go. In other words, they will do until I can get somewhere that has actually good coffee.

And I realize that my past experiences may have little or nothing to do with future conditions. Kettles may end up on the no-longer-allowed list depending on how hotel amenities change in the coming months.

I am the same, love my cup of coffee or tea in the room first thing, and sometimes in the evening as well, so I am quite vigilant about reading room descriptions as not all hotels offer kettles at all, though some will offer on request.

What they need to do instead of instant coffee is have Japanese Packet Drip Coffee. I had it in my room in every hotel in Japan. You can buy the packets on Amazon. I buy empty packets and add my own coffee.

https://youtu.be/i6T9xaHOLHM

It never hurts to pack an immersion coil. Who knows whether the hotel room kettle will be clean and in good working order?

On my last trip, I got more use out of my Rommelsbacher coil and an insulated stainless steel bottle than I would ever have expected. Starbucks Via instant coffee sleeves are easy to pack and I find that this formulation tastes better than the cheap instant coffee crystals available in supermarkets around the world. Tea is more fun to buy locally.

I have not found socks in the kettle, but it does freak me out when house keeping has placed water in it.... some how bone dry equals germ free in my head. I used to travel with an immersion coil and coffee singles and an enamel over steel coffee cup, I got out of the habit after 9/11, that set up in my carryon led to too many intense conversations with TSA

I always carry some herbal tea bags as part of my evening wind down routine in a hotel room. Strangely enough I almost never do that at home
And yes, I want a cup of coffee before I leave the hotel room and deal with anyone.

Frank II,

The Japanese coffee packets look like a great idea and undoubtedly make a great cup of coffee. However, they seem to be more time consuming than something like the Starbucks instant, so I'll probably stick with that.

Surely the act of boiling water in a kettle kills any germs etc...

Hub hotels are pretty much the only ones I’ve seen without a kettle. These are super small and efficient hotels where every single centimetre is used. They do have coffee and tea downstairs in a lobby or restaurant. It’s free. Hubs are always located in very urban locations so there’s also going to be a Starbucks, Costa, Pret very nearby.

All this is before Covid.

In my years of travel I can only think of 2 places that didn’t have a kettle in the room. Rusacks Hotel in St Andrews and the Amber Hill in Galway.