With National Coffee Day celebrated in the U.S. in late-September, I was reminded of how the beverage has become such a popular guest amenity. Almost under the radar, interest in coffee — and to a lesser degree, tea — on property has grown dramatically, not only at breakfast but in the lobby 24 hours a day and guest rooms.

Granted, coffee and tea are simple, relatively inexpensive amenities, but hotel managers shouldn’t take them for granted. Just look at the guest complaints on TripAdvisor: poor quality coffee and shortages of coffee, sugar, stirring rods and cream. And woe be it to the careless housekeepers who don’t sufficiently clean the in-room coffee station.

Several brands and independent hotels, seeing an opportunity to raise their in-room service levels, have replaced old-fashioned pots with Keurig-type cartridge machines. They also have swapped generic pouches of generic coffee with popular coffee brands. More and more guests have such machines in their homes and expect to find them in their hotel rooms.

Meanwhile in the lobby, more hotels – even economy brands – are setting up complimentary coffee stations, where guests checking in or returning from a day of sightseeing or business meetings can pause for a cup. Similarly, high-end hotels feature executive or club floors, where lounges also offer complimentary coffee as well as other snacks and beverages.

This surge of interest in coffee and tea comes at the same time as guest room minibars are becoming extinct. To ensure guests can satisfy their late-night munchies, hotels have opened  “grab-and-go markets” in the lobby. Guests also will find user-friendly espresso machines dispensing latte, cappuccino and other high-end coffee-based options.

In this age of Starbucks and baristas, hotel managers can only expect consumers’ fascination with coffee and its variations to remain strong or even expand further (think cold brew, fair trade). Forward-looking managers will work to ensure that not only their current coffee service is of sufficient quality, but that they remain on the front lines of change where it makes sense as new innovations come to the fore.