Focused on making it easy for New Zealand’s Hotel & Motel industry to create those memorable guest experiences that are key to their success, I am truly passionate about the NZ hotel industry and have been working with hoteliers for over 21 years. Living the reason we exist - To create moments of delight for people every day.
What is the right size kettle for my hotel?
With so many kettle options and sizes available, it can be hard for you to choose the best model for your property. You’re most likely looking for a kettle that ensures a great guest experience but also doesn’t impact your operations as a hotel or motel.
So, to help you out, here are the answers to some of the most common questions we get from hoteliers when it comes to choosing a kettle.
1. The bathroom faucet is the only place for my guests to fill the kettle. What size should I choose to ensure it fits under the tap?
This is a common issue and something a lot of hoteliers can overlook when choosing kettles. Guests get frustrated with how annoying it can be to try and fill the kettle. Domestic brand kettles are typically larger which makes it difficult for the guest to fill so it’s important to find a kettle that is shorter and smaller in capacity. An easy way to check what space you have to play with is to measure the distance from the spout of the faucet to the bottom of the basin. This will help you find the maximum height kettle you should have without your guests encountering any challenges. Alternatively, an even easier approach is to buy kettles that are between 600ml-800ml in capacity as this will ensure they will definitely fit under the tap.
2. Why should I look at using a kettle that is smaller than the domestic 1.7L?
There are several advantages of using a small 600ml or 800ml kettle:
- It easily fits under the bathroom tap
- Helps reduce your water & power consumption
- Discourages guests from using the kettle to boil other things like noodles and milk! (And yes, we all know that some guests will always try!)
The only disadvantage with smaller kettles is that it can be a bit harder to get your hand inside to clean them, however, there are descaling products that don’t require any scrubbing such as Da Bomb.
3. Are there some size kettles that are more sustainable than others?
The short answer is yes. The small 600ml kettle will help reduce your environmental impact for several reasons:
- It will reduce your water consumption – let me explain, as humans we are creatures of habit, and if we have a 1.7L domestic kettle then we tend to fill it to the top when boiling it. This is not required for the majority of purposes and invariably a large portion of the water will end up down the drain.
- It will reduce your power consumption as less energy is required to boil the kettle. This happens for 2 reasons: 1. Because the wattage of the motor required to boil a smaller volume of water is less (only 800w or 1000w typically) rather than the 1500w-3000w motor required to boil a 1.7L kettle. The 2nd is, the time it takes to boil 600ml of water is significantly less than what it takes to boil 1.7L.
4. If I choose a small kettle, will my guests be able to boil enough water for their cup of tea or coffee?
In a hotel room where there is a maximum of two guests, the 600ml or 800ml kettle is sufficient to make 2 typical size cups of coffee or tea. The average size cup or mug is anywhere between 250ml-300ml, so this will work out just right for a cuppa each. If you have apartments or rooms where there would be more than two guests, then it would pay to consider the larger size kettles.
5. With the kettle being on display, will a small kettle look like we are short changing the guest experience?
Firstly, it is impossible to please everyone, but for the large majority, the guest doesn’t really care what size kettle you have. The good news is that there are many minimalist and stylish small kettles that you can choose from. For example, having a sleek matt black kettle that ties in with the décor of your rooms is always a winner, and this takes away from the fact it is more compact. The chances are too, that if your guest was to complain it’s too small, it could well be that they were hoping to cook their noodles in the kettle, which as you know is a housekeeper’s nightmare!
6. Where are the various size kettles typically used?
There are 4 to 5 different hotel kettle sizes that are available. and they each have a place to fill, so here are some of the key sizes and where they are typically used:
- 600ml: These are quickly becoming the most popular size kettle among hotels for their standard rooms where there is max 2 guests.
- 800ml: Some global hotel chains require a minimum 800ml kettle size, so this is where we see a hotel using this size for their rooms where there is max 2 guests. Or if the hotel operator is simply concerned that 600ml is not big enough.
- 1000ml: A large number of apartment hotels use the 1000ml kettle because their guests aren’t restricted by filling the kettle with the bathroom tap. Some hotels also like to choose a 1000ml kettle if they want it to look substantial, but still not as large as the domestic size.
- 1500ml-1700ml: Among the different options, the 1500ml kettle and 1700ml are the minority and are typically used in 2-bedroom apartments or where there are long stays.
Choosing the right kettle is important, and we hope this has helped you identify what option or options suit your property best, and what’s important to your hotel and your guests. If you would like to have a discussion or see some samples of the options available, please fill out the form below.
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