# Why do hotels have ice machines? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 7, 2019, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665 "2019-03-07T00:59:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/21 "2019-03-07T02:18:26Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > I can safely say that 80% of the time I stay at a hotel, I use both the ice machine and the iron. You know you can get water straight from the tap? You don’t need to melt ice. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/22 "2019-03-07T02:23:01Z")
I use the ice machine in my room and I also use the ice machine to refresh the ice in my cooler. I am usually doing some outdoor activity if I am staying in a hotel. Last night I used it for mixed drinks. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/23 "2019-03-07T02:27:15Z")
Heck, the first thing I do upon checking into a hotel is get a bucket of ice for the room. I’ve got ice and drinks mixed before the wife gets unpacked. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/24 "2019-03-07T02:44:12Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > I use the ice machine a heck of a lot more than I use the ironing board… That’s ironic. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/25 "2019-03-07T02:50:28Z")
I’ve never used the ironing board. I’ve used the ice bucket maybe once or twice myself in the hundreds of days I’ve stayed at a hotel, but then again, one or twice in addition to that, a party I was at in one of the suites wanted to refill their huge ice cooler and requisitioned me to refill it, and even though I didn’t care about my drink’s coolness I refilled it anyway, so I guess I’ve used my fair share of hotel ice machine ice. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/26 "2019-03-07T02:50:30Z")
My wife always fills the bucket, for ice water. I use hotel ice only to keep food cold. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/27 "2019-03-07T03:02:47Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Come to think of it, I’ve never even witnessed a person getting ice from one. Nearly every night I’ve stayed in a hotel - any hotel, any price range, anywhere - I’ve seen someone with a little bucket either going to, coming from, or at an ice machine. Stop by early in the morning when the road warriors fill up their coolers. _ETA:_ The ironing boards are great for people who are there for a wedding or funeral and still wear dressy clothes. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/28 "2019-03-07T03:04:10Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > When I was a kid and traveling with my parents, they’d bring a cooler of food, and we used the hotel ice maker to replace the melted ice. Yeah, and I do this with my kids. Kids + not being able to afford eating out every meal = ice + cooler on road trips. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/29 "2019-03-07T03:18:26Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > You know you can get water straight from the tap? You don’t need to melt ice. Pssht. Yeah. I guess. If you won’t want any kind of sense of accomplishment. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/30 "2019-03-07T03:50:43Z")
I’ll typically put a couple of cans of my own (warm) beer in the ice bucket, then fill the bucket with ice from the ice machine. A half-hour or so later–presto! Cold beer. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/31 "2019-03-07T03:56:44Z")
I would be pissed if the hotel did not have a working ice machine. I use the ice to make cold water. Cold packs for my joints. Keep food cool when we go out for the day. and much more. ---
**Author:** ![splatterpunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@splatterpunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/splatterpunk)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/32 "2019-03-07T04:40:21Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > An ice machine on every floor. > > I’ve stayed in a lot of hotels over the years, and I’ve never used one. Come to think of it, I’ve never even witnessed a person getting ice from one. I spent years working in hospitality. Ice machines are a huge expense. Not just purchasing the damn things, but repairs and maintenance as well. If no one ever used ice machines, as you suspect, no hotel on the planet would have them. I can’t remember how many times I had to listen to some pissed off guest bitch about non-working ice machines. Of course people use ice machines. Jesus. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/33 "2019-03-07T05:10:36Z")
I only stay at hotels with fridges. Seriously people, they’re not fancy. Extended stays aren’t expensive and have full fridges; your basic Holiday Inn Express has a college boy. I can’t imagine having to shove my beer & pop into a little plastic bowl full of ice. ---
**Author:** ![splatterpunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@splatterpunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/splatterpunk)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/34 "2019-03-07T05:24:39Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > I only stay at hotels with fridges. Seriously people, they’re not fancy. Extended stays aren’t expensive and have full fridges; your basic Holiday Inn Express has a college boy. I can’t imagine having to shove my beer & pop into a little plastic bowl full of ice. And I can’t imagine staying at a Holiday Inn Express. So what? The point is there are large groups of people who stay at hotels and motels who want and _expect_ access to free ice. It’s not about fridges in rooms. It’s about ICE. People want ice, for a variety of reasons. The fact that you don’t care about it changes nothing. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/35 "2019-03-07T05:31:32Z")
Whenever I’m staying at a hotel/motel, I almost always go down the hall to get a bucket of ice for my evening _digestif_. And in the morning, I almost always make a cup of the crappy, watery coffee in the crappy little single-serve coffee machine next to the bathroom sink. Man, I feel like Rockefeller. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/36 "2019-03-07T06:01:50Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > When I was a kid and traveling with my parents, they’d bring a cooler of food, and we used the hotel ice maker to replace the melted ice. Same here. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/37 "2019-03-07T06:06:05Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > When I was a kid and traveling with my parents, they’d bring a cooler of food, and we used the hotel ice maker to replace the melted ice. Yep, and of course to make drinks cold, even soft ones. We use the ice machine even on one night trips. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/38 "2019-03-07T06:07:12Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > I only stay at hotels with fridges. Seriously people, they’re not fancy. Extended stays aren’t expensive and have full fridges; your basic Holiday Inn Express has a college boy. I can’t imagine having to shove my beer & pop into a little plastic bowl full of ice. Yes, and so? I also stay at places with small fridges. But we want some ice to put into our water or soft drinks. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/39 "2019-03-07T06:29:54Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > I only stay at hotels with fridges. Seriously people, they’re not fancy. Extended stays aren’t expensive and have full fridges; your basic Holiday Inn Express has a college boy. I can’t imagine having to shove my beer & pop into a little plastic bowl full of ice. My experience with hotel mini-fridges is even if you can change the settings they can never quite get as cold as a regular refrigerator let alone cold ice. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/40 "2019-03-07T07:27:39Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > I only stay at hotels with fridges. I love that you think that’s what this thread is about. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665.md?page=3)