The Real Reason Las Vegas Hotels Usually Don't Have In-Room Coffee (It's Not What You Think)

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Las Vegas' resorts are known to deliver an extra-large dose of amenities — headlined by buzzing casino floors, over-the-top suites, and buffet restaurants — so it may come as a surprise to Sin City's visitors that many hotels are missing what's considered a common essential: a coffee maker. This includes iconic names like the all-suite Venetian Resort, Cosmopolitan Las Vegas, Luxor, and Hotel Bellagio. "I stay in a lot of very high-end hotels. They always come with Nespresso machines. It's only Vegas where it doesn't come with coffee," says one Reddit user on r/LasVegas.

Nearly two-thirds of Americans drink coffee daily, and over 80% of those go for a regular morning coffee fix. So, when you pay for a nice hotel room in a buzzing city and figure you can't make your java in your PJs, it makes you wonder why that is. One theory on social media threads is that it's the resort's sly way to have you spend more time on the gaming floors rather than in your room, or that it's a way to force you to purchase coffee from their in-house restaurants or cafes. And since Vegas resorts are all about making profits, this theory seems plausible, but isn't the real reason why Vegas hotels don't have in-room coffee makers.

The real reason Vegas hotel rooms eschew coffee makers is that it's a challenge to keep them clean and safe to use. If you don't know, coffee makers rank as one of the dirtiest surfaces in the hotel room, harboring harmful bacteria and mold inside them. Seeing this as a potential health threat to the millions flocking to the neon-clad city, the local health department rolled out strict cleaning guidelines for coffee makers, like using specific sinks to clean parts like the carafes or mugs and disinfecting the machine frequently. This was an additional maintenance cost and effort for the already long list of cleaning needs, so hotel management just decided to remove the machines.

If you're the kind of person who needs their big gulp of espresso before the world can be put into a nice perspective, then coffee is nonnegotiable — even on vacations. So, what do you do when you're heading to Las Vegas? For one, hotels on the Strip are less likely to have in-room coffee than those off the Strip, as several online threads will attest to. Some that do — like Caesars Palace – will have a coffee maker in their higher-end suites. The additional necessities to brew a cup, like pods, can be chargeable. Similarly, many hotels also provide coffee pots for the rooms on request, but those come with additional rental charges as well.

If you want a budget-friendly caffeine fix, the best thing to do is to come prepared. On the same Reddit thread (r/LasVegas), people advise bringing your own travel-friendly collapsible kettle with pour-over coffee bags, or a portable, single-serve coffee maker, like a French press, to make coffee anywhere in minutes. For those who forgot to carry supplies, another option is to buy a cheap coffee maker (you can find options at around $10) from Walmart or Target and leave the machine at the destination after your stay (if you wish). Considering coffee in Vegas costs an average $9 per cup, this will save more money, especially if you're someone who needs multiple doses of caffeine per day!