# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/41 "2019-03-07T08:30:11Z")
> [@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. I don’t think I’ve ever seem a filled ice tray (or even an empty one) in a hotel fridge. When I drive to a place I often bring soda in a cooler with me (with freezer packs, not ice) to drink on the way. If I don’t drink the soda, I bring it up to the room to drink later - with ice. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/42 "2019-03-07T11:28:43Z")
I found a vole in one once. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/43 "2019-03-07T11:36:35Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > I use the ice machine a heck of a lot more than I use the ironing board… I’ve never used the iron, ironing board, or blow dryer, but I always use the ice bucket and ice. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/44 "2019-03-07T12:04:31Z")
Also always use them, and expect them. When I was in Europe however I found that this is not the norm and if one requests ice one may get a glass of ice. ---
**Author:** ![Isosleepy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/isosleepy/32/479_2.png) [@Isosleepy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isosleepy)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/45 "2019-03-07T12:42:19Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > 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. 30 minutes! Nobody has to wait for 30 minutes for anything! This is ‘Merikuh! Try adding some water to the ice in the bucket. Don’t know about beer, but gets soda cold in about 6 minutes. I only use hotel ice to cool things down. Wouldn’t think of putting it in anything I ingest. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/46 "2019-03-07T13:05:48Z")
> [@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. Dude! How else can you fill the bathtub with ice for your beer! We used to clean out the machines from a couple of different floors! Now that I’m married and have 3 kids, we travel a lot. We use the ice machine regularly for refilling the cooler, mixing drinks, etc… If we’re down south in the heat a plastic/ziploc bag with ice is great for cooling down too. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever used the iron, in fact, I don’t think I’ve even hung anything in the closet or put any clothes in the dresser either. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/47 "2019-03-07T13:06:32Z")
I don’t think I’ve ever used a hotel ice machine. Obviously I’m in the minority. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/48 "2019-03-07T13:15:05Z")
I’ve stayed in plenty of hotels. I’ve never used the ice machine or the ironing board and I don’t turn on the tv. That said, I’m not perplexed as to why people might use them. I guess I have a well developed imagination. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/49 "2019-03-07T13:22:42Z")
I use them, but I take care to use the little plastic liner they provide. You really don’t know how long they go between washes of the bucket and you don’t know what germs might live in there. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/50 "2019-03-07T13:46:48Z")
If you’re germaphobic, don’t think about how long it’s been since the ice maker was cleaned out and properly sterilized. Probably never. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/51 "2019-03-07T13:55:08Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > If you’re germaphobic, don’t think about how long it’s been since the ice maker was cleaned out and properly sterilized. Probably never. Same is true for ice makers in bars, restaurants, fast food places, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/52 "2019-03-07T14:02:04Z")
> [@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. > [@splatterpunk](#): > > 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. I usually try to book rooms with mini-fridges, but I still use the ice machines. The mini-fridge just doesn’t get stuff that cold. And a bucket of ice can get your beer or soft drinks really cold. On hot summer days sometimes stores will put out a big cooler with ice, water and soft drinks. Customers love them, because the drinks are really cold. The last time I was in a Holiday Inn Express, I didn’t have an opportunity to buy an evening snack before I checked in. So I had seen the complimentary coffee bar and thought “A cup of hot chocolate will do nicely”. So later that evening I went to the coffee bar to make my hot chocolate and they were out of hot water. So I discovered if you make hot chocolate mix with coffee instead of water it’s really good. But here is my question. I’m not much of a world traveler, but I’m under the impression that the ice machine/soda machine in hotels is an American convention. Because I’ve never seen them while traveling outside of the states and I miss them. But then again, my travel experience outside the US is limited to a handful of trips to Mexico and Central America. So, do you guys typically see ice machines in hotels outside the US? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/53 "2019-03-07T14:11:42Z")
I don’t use those little bottles of skin or hair conditioner they have in motels/hotels and I’ve never seen anyone use them, therefore nobody does and they’re a waste. :dubious: I use the ice machine practically every time I stay in a motel. ---
**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, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/54 "2019-03-07T14:18:10Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > 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. For me it’s more like the mini-fridges’ range is never very adjustable, but the specific temperature of any given fridge is variable. Some are just in the right range to cool food and drink (while not giving ice), some are slightly too warm, while others will freeze everything solid no matter what you set them to. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/55 "2019-03-07T14:19:25Z")
I am with the few others that have never used the ice machine and have always wondered who did. It sounds like if you are not bringing in warm soft drinks/beer, making mixed drinks, needing to fill a cooler, or needing to keep the kidneys fresh, then you wouldn’t ever need ice in a hotel. I guess I am one of the lucky (unlucky?) few. > [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > I use the ice machine in my room… You had an ice machine in your room? I bet that was noisy. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/56 "2019-03-07T14:36:15Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > The last time I was in a Holiday Inn Express, I didn’t have an opportunity to buy an evening snack before I checked in. So I had seen the complimentary coffee bar and thought “A cup of hot chocolate will do nicely”. So later that evening I went to the coffee bar to make my hot chocolate and they were out of hot water. So I discovered if you make hot chocolate mix with coffee instead of water it’s really good. You must have missed the [caffe mocha](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caff%C3%A8_mocha) phase of the late 80’s early 90s. A lot of bars and restaurants served it as just 50/50 coffee and hot chocolate. ---
**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, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/57 "2019-03-07T14:39:44Z")
Yeah, never read your local restaurant inspection reports. LOTS of citations for disgusting ice machines. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/58 "2019-03-07T14:56:24Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > Yeah, never read your local restaurant inspection reports. LOTS of citations for disgusting ice machines. A buddy owns a bar and a restaurant located about a block away from each other. He keeps the ice-maker at the bar and has an employee wheel a huge cooler back and forth so that the restaurant has ice. He does this to avoid having the ice-maker from being subject to inspection. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/59 "2019-03-07T14:59:48Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > A buddy owns a bar and a restaurant located about a block away from each other. He keeps the ice-maker at the bar and has an employee wheel a huge cooler back and forth so that the restaurant has ice. He does this to avoid having the ice-maker from being subject to inspection. The one at the bar doesn’t have to be inspected? The restaurant inspectors never question the source of the ice? ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2019, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665/60 "2019-03-07T15:02:16Z")
I’d rather have a fridge than an ice machine, but these are not always available; or are so crammed with overpriced items they have little free space. Anyway, I like and usually use the hotel machines. I don’t always drink alcohol when I travel, but drinking makes the machine even more useful. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hotels-have-ice-machines/830665.md?page=4)