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Anytime you go and stay in a hotel or motel, you usually find everything that could make yourself comfortable. You find a comfortable bed, cable television, internet access, a nice place to shower, and other comforts of home. They even have soda vending machines so that you can have something to drink while you are there. But that can of soda wouldn't be as good without a nice cup of ice to help keep it cold. Sure you could chill your soda in the compact refrigerator in your room and wait for it to get cold, but who wants to wait? That's is certainly one good reason why hotels and motels need ice machines for their customers.
Here are some basic tips for choosing the right ice machine for your hotel or motel…..
Choosing the Right Size
The only thing worse than no ice machine is one that runs out of ice. What a tease!! When you are shopping for an ice machine for your establishment, make sure that you size it correctly. Choose the size based on the amount of rooms in your hotel or motel and the occupancy rate that you have staying there regularly. Make sure that it not only produces enough ice, but the ice dispenser holds enough ice so that there's a ready supply of ice anytime your guests want some ice for their drinks. For example, some say 5 lbs of ice per room is a good measure.
Be Sure to Follow Local Regulations
In addition to purchasing the ice machine, make sure that it follows the regulations that are required by the health department. Specifically, the ice needs to be stored where it cannot be accessed by the public and dispensed properly so that there isn't a problem with cross contamination. Stay away from any ice machines or bins that need to be scooped manually. A proper automatic ice dispenser allows the user to place their ice bucket beneath the dispenser and either push a button or utilizing a sensor to dispense the ice without people touching it. This will help to ensure that everyone gets ice that is free of germs. Hopefully the button gets cleaned often, but like anything in a hotel, best bet is to wash your hands regularly.
Choosing the Best Location
Once you have purchased your ice machine for your hotel or motel, choosing the right location to put the ice machine is important. It is obviously very important to be readily accessible by all of your guests, but that it isn't too close to the rooms so that your guests are disturbed by the noise. You also will need central plumbing and drainage so hopefully you have a dedicated and well ventilated place for the machine. An ideal location is behind a closed door in a well ventilated room keeping the noise of the machine to a minimum as well as allowing the machine air circulation to operate properly. We have seen many by elevator machine rooms or laundry closets. If you have a very large hotel, you might want to consider buying more than one ice machine so that it's convenient for your guests. Everyone makes assumptions that their room will be comfortable, but you would be surprised how many bad reviews hotels are given simply because there was no ice machine. Anytime someone stays at a hotel, it is almost a ritual to search for the ice machine. The ice is not just for drinks, but it can also help with keeping food or medication cold or for coolers used during your guests outings. Taking the extra time to research the different kinds of ice machines that are available is time well spent. While an ice machine does not necessarily translate into a return on investment such as a vending machine, but consider it a very important extension of your guests comfort.