A Reason to Stay
Field Notes 009 · On coffee
There was a time when coffee in hotels was little more than an expectation. It was available because it needed to be, often hurriedly prepared and quickly forgotten.
Today, that relationship has changed. Coffee culture has emerged.
Coffee has become an important expression of a hotel’s identity. The finest hotels no longer treat it as an amenity, but as an integral part of the guest experience, investing in quality with the same intention as they invest in their interiors, their gardens, their restaurants and the people who bring them to life.
I’ve noticed that the best hotel cafés are rarely occupied solely by hotel guests.
Local residents stop by on their morning walk.
Friends meet over coffee.
Colleagues work together around a shared table.
Someone sits quietly with a book.
Another writes.
Some simply enjoy the comfort of being around other people without feeling any obligation to join them.
Hospitality has the ability to create connection without demanding interaction. It offers people the opportunity to be alone, yet still feel part of something. Guests seek out thoughtful spaces. I bet you are thinking of one right now… (I’d love to hear where it is!) Providing excellent coffee is no longer enough if the environment feels uninspiring. Equally, beautiful interiors cannot compensate for mediocre coffee.
Of course, none of this happens by accident.
People have become discerning. They know good coffee when they taste it, and likewise they know when it’s not been given a second thought. Increasingly, they care about provenance, quality and wellbeing, wanting to know that what they consume has been chosen well.
Like every successful hospitality experience, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
And isn’t it interesting how the vessel in which your take-away coffee is given becomes part of the experience?
Thoughtfully branded, it extends the identity of the hotel beyond its walls. It sits in a guest’s hand as they wander through the gardens, work in the lobby or walk back through the neighbourhood. For a brief moment, they become part of the place, carrying its identity with them. Spotted by others, a seed is planted and the culture continues.
Branding, when approached thoughtfully, is not simply recognition; it’s belonging.
As coffee culture continues to evolve, I believe hotels have an opportunity to think beyond the drink itself. The hotel with a cafe is a place that welcomes residents and non-residents alike. It is a place where the like-minded can enjoy a sense of belonging. A place that encourages people to pause, to connect, to work, to reflect or simply to enjoy being there.
Coffee is here to stay. The question for hospitality is not whether to invest in it, but how thoughtfully it chooses to do so.
When quality, design and hospitality work together, coffee becomes far more than something we consume; it becomes a reason to stay.
/Heidi