This Is the No. 1 Appliance in Your Hotel Room You Should Avoid Using, According to Health Experts

Long story short, it probably hasn't been cleaned

Excerpt taken from T&L

By Joey Skladany for Travel & Leisure - June 30, 2026

According to Simran Malhotra, physician, wellness coach, and founder of Wellness By LifestyleMD in Bethesda, Maryland, coffee makers are ideal places for bacterial growth due to their warm and moist environments. 

“This small study tested the water reservoirs of 10 coffee machines and found a diverse bacterial community growing in every single one,” Malhotra tells  Travel + Leisure. “This is likely because water-contact appliances often develop a sticky bacterial layer called a biofilm, which is a tough coating that doesn't rinse away with water alone. On top of that, hotel coffee machines may not be thoroughly cleaned between stays, leading to germ buildup over time.”

But if you really want a hot cup of joe in the morning, run two full brew cycles of hot water to flush out the machine. If you want to go the extra mile, wash the crate and basket with hot, soapy water.