Artisanal coffee brews at U.S. hotels

There's something brewing at hotels across the USA: artisanal coffee.

Business travelers looking for the perfect beverage to start their day no longer have to settle for instant coffee brewed in old-fashioned pots.

Hotels are partnering with specialty coffee companies to perk up caffeinated beverage options in guest rooms, through room service, at kiosks and in lounges.

Considering the ever-growing popularity of Starbucks and other craft brews, hotels have no choice but to offer coffee of equal or higher quality.

"Coffee is too often overlooked, but it is truly important to restaurant patrons and hotel guests," says Stephen Wancha, director of Food and Beverage at the Four Seasons Orlando, which offers three different blends in guest rooms with Nespresso machines. "Great restaurants and hotels/resorts are taking the time to research origins and blend options, train their teams, maintain equipment and deliver a stellar experience — much like they do with their food and spirit programs. Quality coffee programs have become dining differentiators."

Some examples:

• Fairmont Hotels and Resorts partnered with H.C. Valentine Coffee, a micro-roasting company based in Birmingham, Ala., to provide guests with what Brett Patterson, the company's vice president of Food and Beverage for the Americas, calls a "farm-to-cup" experience. Most of the beans come from small family farms in Africa and Central and South America.
• At AC Hotels by Marriott, guests can use a one-cup brewing machine to make Torrefazione Italia coffee. Marriott chose an Italian coffee for the new hotel brand, which originated in Europe. If guests don't want to drink the coffee in their room, they can head down to the AC Kitchen and make a customized coffee drink from a Nespresso machine.
• Hilton Hotels and Resorts recently expanded its partnership with the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf to provide specialty coffee drinks in lobbies, restaurants, lounges and gourmet markets at participating properties.
• Le Meridien Hotels take their coffee culture so seriously that each property has an in-house Master Barista. The baristas go through an intensive training program. Last November, the company partnered with illy Coffee to name a Global Latte Artist.

"Coffee is the next microbrew beer," says Michael Lusick, senior director of brand operations at Cambria Hotels and Suites, which serves Wolfgang Puck coffee."Similar to microbrews and the interest hotel guests have in those, we are now looking at how we can incorporate local artisan coffee as part of the food and beverage experience."

The importance of coffee is highlighted in a 2015 National Coffee Association USA study, which found that 70% of consumers say coffee wakes them up and gets them going in the morning.

"Coffee is personal. Consumers expect to be able to customize their coffee, which means that hotels need to offer more choices," says Kyra Auffermann, manager of communication and content development at the association.

Hotels also have to offer better coffeemaking machines. Many hotels are replacing in-room miniature coffeemakers with higher-end machines from manufacturers such as Nespresso and Keurig.

Some business travelers say they like the higher-quality machines but worry about how they are maintained.

"I don't think hotels clean those at all," says USA TODAY Road Warrior Petr Klima, a New Orleans consultant.

Not so, says Toni Stoeckl, vice president of lifestyle brands for Marriott International. "They are cleaned daily," he says.

Many consumers want their coffee to be made in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. About 17% of all coffee drinkers expressed concern about environmental and sustainability issues. That concern tripled among consumers below the age of 39, which include those Millennial travelers coveted by hotels.

"Millennials control an estimated $1.3 trillion of consumer spending annually, making them a critical demographic for the hotel industry," Auffermann says." Hotels have to keep up with this demographic's expectations, or they could risk damaging their reputation or losing guests."

Hotels are keeping up with expectations by offering coffee brewed by local companies. Younger travelers, in particular, prefer to eat and drink locally sourced and produced products.

Guest rooms at Dorado Beach, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve, are equipped with a French press offering a local Puerto Rican coffee.

The Brooklyn Marriott serves fair-trade coffees by DUMBO-based roastery and espresso lab Brooklyn Roasting. Coffee flavors change frequently but include such creative options as the Iris Espresso, a sweet and spicy brew.

The James Chicago partnered with Sparrow Coffee, a green and organic micro-roastery.

The Wayfarer at the Quin Hotel in New York created its own brand of cold brew coffee with local coffee brewers For Five Coffee Roasters.

Who says coffee should be consumed only in the morning?

Many hotels are adding a nighttime twist to their coffee offerings.

Gansevoort Park Avenue in New York has partnered with Panther Coffee, a small-batch roasting company based in Miami, to serve cocktails such as the "Affagotto," made with Bailey's, vanilla ice cream and a double espresso.

Le Meridien Hotels recently debuted a menu of new coffee cocktails curated by Master Global Barista Franz Zauner.

Measure Lounge at the Langham Place Fifth Avenue in New York serves Stumptown Cold Brew on tap, in regular or a nitro version. It can be served on its own or as a cocktail.

"While many of our guests were ordering coffee from us, they were going out to get specialty coffee items, such as iced coffee," says Sarah Karakaian, head bartender at the lounge. "We thought if we offered a specialty cold coffee, this would be a compelling reason for them to spend more time at Measure Lounge."