This $37 Item Is 1 Frequent Flier's Easy Fix to Avoid One of the Grossest Parts of Hotel Rooms

Travel + Leisure

20-06-2025

I was at my home airport of LAX covering a recent Condor press event, at which the airline unveiled new European routes and showed off its sleek A330neo business class cabin. But there was another highly specific detail that caught my attention: While standing in a group, I overheard one airline executive casually mention he never travels without his portable kettle. Even on short trips. Even when flying carry-on only. Naturally, I had to know more, so I leaned in and pressed the conversation.
'Why bother taking it? I guess it's the most British thing you'll hear this week, but good black tea needs boiling water," explained Stephen Mc Kenna, an area manager for Condor. And that, he explained, is where most hotel rooms fall short.
'These coffee makers in hotel rooms tend to be way below that, so you get really weak tea,' he said. 'They also have a constant lingering stale coffee taste in them, which I just can't do; it's the same thing in all the chain hotels that have a usually much-appreciated coffee and tea station: the water boilers have nearly always had coffee in them before, so again, that lingering taste.'
Beyond ensuring a quality brew, Mc Kenna's inclination to travel with a portable kettle also acts as an ingenious fix for a rather unsettling hotel guest phenomenon. In April, the hosts of Britain's This Morning revealed that guests are known to wash their dirty underwear and socks in the hotel room's kettle. "You'd be surprised how many treat the kettle like a general-purpose pot because they don't want to use the sink," a Manchester-based housekeeper shared with the daytime television program. "Unless there's a complaint, kettles are usually just wiped on the outside and left in place."
That's why, no matter how light he's packing, Mc Kenna makes room for a kettle similar to the Loutytuo Portable Travel Kettle—a compact, collapsible option that boils clean-tasting water fast and reliably.
Available on Amazon starting at $37, the Loutytuo kettle has thousands of five-star reviews from travelers who praise its portability, speed, and reliability. Made with food-grade silicone and stainless steel, it folds down to under three inches high and weighs less than a pound, making it ideal for even the strictest luggage setups.
'There's always a couple of sachets of oatmeal in my bag, in case I need a quick breakfast,' Mc Kenna added. With the ability to boil water in just a few minutes, this kettle isn't just about tea. You can rehydrate instant soup, make pour-over coffee, or whip up noodles—all without leaving your hotel room.
The device is dual-voltage (100–240V), so it works internationally with the right plug adapter—a key feature for frequent flyers. It heats quickly (typically under five minutes for .5L of water) and automatically shuts off when it reaches a full boil. A secure locking lid prevents spills, and the wide-mouth design makes it easy to clean between uses.
Travelers also love that it cools down fast, so you can collapse it and pack it away not long after using it—perfect for those early hotel check-outs or airport transfers. Over in the review section, one traveler wrote, "This kettle folds up very nicely and the handle folds conveniently out of the way so that it takes up very little room in luggage," and another shopper added, "This is probably my favorite travel purchase ever."
If you're someone who values a proper cup of tea, wants total control over your hot drinks while traveling, or just likes to keep your breakfast routine consistent on the road, a little kettle like Loutytuo Portable Travel Kettle might be worth the carry-on real estate.
For Mc Kenna, it's non-negotiable: 'You don't know what kind of coffee-flavored water situation you're walking into at any hotel. This solves that every time.' Keep scrolling to explore the other top-rated Amazon travel essentials that will elevate your next hotel stay.
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