Why do hotels have ice machines? Here’s the surprising origin of this travel staple you probably take for granted.
This Is the Real Reason Hotels Have Ice Machines
Updated on May 20, 2025
Picture it: It’s 10 p.m. and you’re walking down the oddly carpeted hallway of your hotel in socks and a hoodie, carrying a bucket the size of a toddler’s head and making your nightly pilgrimage to the ice machine. Whether it’s to chill your drink, nurse sore feet after sightseeing or build a makeshift cooler for leftover tacos, hotel ice is the unsung hero of amenities. And even though you probably have easy access to ice at home, there’s something that just feels special about having a giant machine dedicated to serving you frozen cubes of water.
“Ice machines might seem like a small amenity to guests, or easily overlooked, but ice is surprisingly essential to have at a hotel,” says Taylor Trenda, the general manager of food and beverage operations at Hotel Teatro in Denver. “They are one of those quiet markers of hospitality, and they serve a lot of different purposes for our guests.”
So why do hotels have ice machines? And what can you use them for? Grab your plastic bucket and read on, because with the help of Trenda, we’re going on a frosty dive into the fascinating world of hotel ice machines and showing you how to get more out of them on your next trip.
Get Reader’s Digest’s Read Up newsletter for more fun facts, humor, cleaning, travel and tech all week long.
What’s the history of ice machines in hotels?
Once upon a time—and it’s not even that long ago—you couldn’t just summon ice like a modern-day Elsa. In centuries past, if you wanted cold cubes in your drink, someone had to literally carve ice out of a lake and haul it to your hotel. Ice was rare, expensive and weirdly sweaty. Ice machines, as we know them today (more or less), were invented in 1929 but didn’t become common until the 1940s. Some hotels started to have ice machines then, but they didn’t offer them to guests—at least not for free.
Then came Charles Kemmons Wilson, founder of Holiday Inn and unofficial patron saint of free ice, to start the hotel ice machine revolution. Legend has it that he got fed up with being charged for ice at other hotels, so when he launched Holiday Inn in 1952, he installed free ice machines as a customer perk.
As Holiday Inns multiplied, so did the ice—and so did our collective need to sip beverages so cold they hurt our teeth. Of course, this frosty love affair is a very American thing. Brits, for example, remain suspicious of ice, preferring their drinks tepid and their dental nerves intact. (As a person with sensitive teeth: Respect.)
The success of the machines in Holiday Inns inspired other hotel chains to make them a free amenity as well. Not only was this good PR, but it was also cheaper than delivering ice to every room … and way less messy than wrestling with a melting glacier. Everyone wins.
What can you use a hotel ice machine for?
“Perhaps you should be asking: What can’t you use a hotel ice machine for?” says Trenda. “You’d be surprised by how creative people get with ice.” It’s basically the Swiss Army knife of your hotel stay—if that knife did only one thing and that one thing was to make everything colder. Here are some hotel hacks to try out during your next stay.
Chilling your drinks
Obviously. Whether you’re winding down with a soda, wine or that boba tea you impulsively brought back from lunch, hotel ice is the difference between “refreshing” and “lukewarm regret.”
Creating a makeshift fridge
No fridge? No problem. Just fill the sink (or the trash can with a liner—don’t judge me) with ice, toss in your drinks, and boom—you’ve got your own minibar.
Soothing sore muscles
Did you accidentally go too hard at the hotel gym? Twist your ankle at the beach? Walk 9 miles at a theme park? Hotel ice can turn a washcloth into a makeshift ice pack. Or go all out by filling the tub with ice and making it a cold plunge.
Trying DIY spa treatments
One of the more innovative uses Trenda says she’s seen is to make your own facial by filling a bowl with ice and water and then dunking your face into it. This supposedly reduces puffiness and rejuvenates skin, and it certainly wakes you up too!
Filling your cooler
Topping off the cooler before a long day of sightseeing is probably the most popular use of the ice machine, Trenda says. Sure, you could swing by a gas station and pay $5 for a bag of ice that leaks all over your trunk—or you could stroll down the hall in your flip-flops and grab it for free like the hotel royalty you are.
Keeping leftovers fresh
Don’t have a fridge in your hotel room? Wrap up your leftovers and pop them in your ice-bucket fridge. Will it taste the same tomorrow? Debatable. But at least it won’t give you food poisoning.
Getting a little peace and quiet
As someone who travels with children, one of my sanity-saving secrets is to take a nice slow walk to the ice machine when things start getting crazy at bedtime. Why do we need ice at bedtime? Don’t ask questions—just let me have my moment.
Devising makeshift entertainment
You’re bored. It’s late. You’ve got a bucket of ice and no adult supervision. Welcome to Hotel Ice Jenga! Or Tic-Tac-Toe? Chess? The only limit is your imagination.
What’s the future of ice machines in hotels?
Let’s be honest: Hotel ice machines can be a mixed bag. Half the time they’re out of service, suspiciously loud or give off major “hasn’t been cleaned since the Nixon administration” vibes. But they still have lots of uses, and people definitely still love them, Trenda says.
So what’s next? Smart ice machines are one possibility, bringing them up to speed with the more modern ice machines many of us are used to. You could scan your room key and customize your ice—crushed, cubed or emotionally supportive. Another option might be smaller ice machines in each room, to make them more accessible and easier to clean. Or perhaps we’ll see biodegradable ice alternatives? (Kidding! That’s just water, but in eco-friendly packaging.)
However, some hotels are ditching the ice machine to save money and maximize space. But that seems rare, at least for now. “I don’t think they’re going anywhere,” Trenda says. “It’s one of those behind-the-scenes comforts for guests that helps make a hotel feel more like home.”
About the expert
|
Why trust us
Reader’s Digest has published hundreds of travel stories that help readers explore the world safely, easily and affordably. We regularly cover topics such as the best places to visit (and the best times to visit them), tips and tricks to zoom through airport security, flight-attendant secrets, hotel-room hacks and more. We’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. For this piece on the reason why hotels have ice machines, Charlotte Hilton Andersen tapped her experience as a longtime journalist who often covers the interesting facts and common curiosities for Reader’s Digest. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Taylor Trenda, general manager of food and beverage operations at Hotel Teatro and The Nickel in Denver; email interview, May 15, 2025
- Memphis Ice Machine Co.: “The chilling history of ice”
- Kemmons Wilson: “Legacy”
