Coffee Options...Does anyone charge for Coffee? Is providing coffee worth the Hassle?

Trapper0
Level 2
Brigham City, UT

Coffee Options...Does anyone charge for Coffee? Is providing coffee worth the Hassle?

First off, we are not coffee drinkers, so never really thought about it when we started hosting.  We have been hosting for over a year now and have had about 30+ guests.  So far only one has complained that we did not have a coffee maker.  I wanted to provide this as an option as I'm sure we get some coffee drinkers and there are no coffee shops near us.  I purchased a Keurig and some of the pods and I assumed I could charge for each pod, so the people who want coffee could just pay for it.  After looking around on the airbnb help and community, I don't think anyone charges for Coffee (or does anyone?).  It looks like either coffee is provided and free, or it's not provided.  Also, I'm not sure if it's even allowed with Airbnb because they don't want you dealing in cash and it appears there's no way to pay for it through the website.  My concern is that this could get very expensive and time consuming and I don't want to raise the rate for everyone for those who want to coffee.  I also worry about the fact that I'm a coffee illeterate, that I won't provide the right cream, sugars, etc. and this might just be something for others to complain about.  I'm considering the following options.

 

Provide the Keurig to guests and charge them for the cost of the K-Cup Pods (if this is even allowed).  Also would people complain that the coffee wasn't free?

 

Provide the Keurig to guests but inform them in the listing that they must provide their own K-Cup Pods or grounds.

 

Keep things the same - Return the Keurig and just make it clear to guest that we have no coffee or coffee maker.  I assume if people know this in advance they can purchase their own instant coffee if they want it in the morning.   Again, after a year of hosting, we have had only one complaint.  I just worry if we don't do something, we may get more complaints in the future.

 

Any suggestions would be helpful.

27 Replies 27
David126
Level 10
Como, CO

I have a Keurig and provide usually COSTCO's finest plus milk and sugar and the foam cream for hot chocolate.

 

I do not charge and would not think of charging, just a cost of doing business.

 

I also have a kettle and tea bags etc.

 

Use varies a lot, sometimes hardly at all other times quite heavily.

David

Thanks.  What do you assume the average cost is per night stay?  $5 average?  Again, trying to figure out its worth the hassle and how much it's going to cut into profits.  I would rather not raise our base rate.

Nothing like that, I have not kept track but the pods are about 30c each, milk may be a bigger cost but I have that to hand for myslef as well.

David

It's tax deductible so just keep track of what you spend.

We have a Nespresso machine. If guests check in at our usual time their welcome hamper has 10 Nespresso coffee capsules, a variety of teas, fresh milk, sugar, bottled water, a bottle of wine or cava in the fridge, a bowl of oranges from our orchard, basic herbs and spices, local olive oil, salt & pepper etc. If they arrive late at night and there's no way for them to do a grocery shop after check-in we also provide organic eggs, butter, fresh bread and local honey so they have something for breakfast.

 

 

 

Helen3
Level 10
Bristol, United Kingdom

It looks cheap and nasty to charge for coffee or tea I think.

 

Just provide the coffee with a fixed number of pods per day, milk (or whatever people in the US use), sugar and a smile on your face.

@Trapper0

I am a coffee drinker and I honestly would not understand charging for pods (or tea) - unless the place I'm staying at is bare bones dirt cheap. I think it's better to just add $5 per night and provide a couple complimentary pods, 2~3 types of tea, and bottled water, and I honestly don't think this would be all that time consumingAs a guest, if there isn't a coffee place near by then these little things are greatly appreciated! Or you could provide instant coffee - Starbucks via instant is actually not that bad. 

@Trapper0 - coffee snob here and would-be complainer if there wasn't coffee ..... 

Yes, provide coffee for free.

My advice:  get rid of the expensive Keurig.  Buy a cheap drip coffee maker (a Mr. Coffee) and provide ground coffee that people can make a pot for themselves. This will cost you pennies per pot (which is why offices provide free coffee - the expense is practically nothing). It doesn't have to be super fancy coffee either, but if you buy a really nice coffee jar and dump the grounds into it, it will seem fancy and it could be the cheap stuff.  You can provide sugar, ultra-pasterized creamer that doesn't go bad, and a few packets of a non-sugar substitute.  Most coffee drinkers will be FINE with this arrangement, they just need a little pick me up in the morning - it doesn't need to be an expensive add on.  Most coffee drinkers know how to use a basic drip maker, but you may need to provide some easy directions - will take you a few minutes to type up.  

The initial cost to set this up: maybe $50 total.  If it costs you another $50/year I'd be surprised.  

And, if you want the social capital, provide a countertop composting crock for the spent grounds and filter because these are the best composting material.  Then just dump it in your garden.  It's great for the soil.  (bought my bin at Plow & Hearth for $20).  

Although you can charge for pods if you want using the Resolution Center. Just make sure you announce it on your listing that there is a charge.  

If you want a list of what to buy since you aren't coffee drinkers, I'd be willing to provide one.  Just private message me.  

Marit-Anne0
Level 10
Bergen, Norway

@Trapper0

I like a decent cup of coffee in the morning, no instant please, and the cheap drip coffee makers usually make horrible coffee. And I am not even a coffee snob 😉 

Ground coffee, filters, filter holder (a black plastic one that does not break and does not stain) and jug together with boiling water will do the trick and will be a very small investment to keep your coffee drinking guests happy.

I was thinking of the Melitta brand - looks like they are available in the US too  http://www.ebay.com/bhp/melitta-coffee-maker

 

Carolyn122
Level 3
Albuquerque, NM

As a heavy coffee drinker I would not book a place that did not offer at least some form of coffee machine. We have two air apartments and have a keuring in both.  We do not charge for it. I bought an assortment of kcups that included hot chocolate and teas from amazon with those little metal spinning racks and reup as needed. We only offer non dairy creamer and regular sugar. In general we find we use about 60 pods a month for the two apartments, about one a day. This is interesting as we usually book couples so the machine only gets used half the time but it does get used. 

Willow3
Level 10
Coupeville, WA

I'm a coffee addict. Been drinking it since I was two. Love it and love living in the PNW where coffee is king. 

 

But, I suspect that most of your guests are LDS and have absolutely no use for a coffee maker. I would ditch the Kuerig (expensive and undrinkable coffee, IMO!) and simply put a pour over filter set up for the very occasional guest who would like some. Get a small bag of coffee and put it in the freezer. 

 

If your listing were closer to town, I would say just forget it, but being a bit remote, there won't be options. 

@Willow3FYI, coffee beans (ground or whole) should NEVER be stored in the freezer 🙂 Using an airtight container at a relatively cool room temp location (like the pantry) is best~~~~

Good to know. At the rate I drink coffee, storage has never been an issue, lol. 

This thread keeps popping up. Must be because coffee is so personal.

 

I'm a coffee snob, so I do NOT depend on my AirBnB hosts to provide it for me. I make sure there is a coffee shop nearby or I bring my own.

 

For the entire place options, there should be a cheap coffee maker. I cohost for a friend when he travels and he doesn't provide coffee or cream or any food. Guests can go purchase their favorite coffee and gluten-free almond milk or whatever. The caveat to this is that it's super messy. Grounds everywhere. Coffee stains. I have to spend a lot of time around this one thing.

 

For our place, which is a private room in our house, we no longer offer coffee. We used to have a Keurig and, until a guest broke it, some wouldn't use it and some would use up all our pods (.50-1.00 a pop) and some would ask for special lactose-free creamer or vegan creamer or special monkfruit sugar and on and on. Once it was broken TWICE (Yes, such fools, we replaced it!!!) and AirBnB wouldn't give us a dime for it we just never replaced it. We put in our listing in several areas that we don't offer coffee and where the nearest shops are. This is only an issue for folks who don't read the listing info or the pop-ups or the house rules and that's on them.