Thanks for the input. We don't have health inspections but that is a good point about using a scoop, I guess we'll just need to keep it cleaned frequently.
We have 9 rooms, so there most definitely is going to need to be a sign that you cannot use that ice for filling coolers, only for glasses (this will be an improvement over the current sign which says we are unable to give any ice at all, so it's still a step up).
Jeanne: Can you give me an idea what the daily use is like for you? Do you just fill it once a day and let it make the ice then let it sit there? Does it melt quickly/form into a block? Do you make some right before check-in time? My whole goal is to make this self-sufficient for the guests so they can get ice any time, I'm having trouble picturing how that will work..
We generally just check once a day on the water dispenser and the ice machine at the same time. They are both in our upstairs library. There is a jug under the water dispenser so someone could figure out to refill the reservoir (but there's no note to do it) and I think one reservoir generally lasts all day. We do have the advantage that our living room is right underneath the library so we can hear if the ice machine is getting heavy usage and check on it before we go to bed. The cubes don't seem to melt that quickly to me - no ice blocks form. It works in a continuous state so we just fill it sometime between check-out and check-in and let it go. Really it's no more added work than checking the water dispenser. The hot water kettle is more of a pain to keep filled in the winter time since it's not near a good water source.
We do have small ice buckets in the rooms, like
this one. I actually don't use liners but I should - we have small garbage can liners that would work well. Easier than double-checking all the time that the housekeepers have taken away the used ones for cleaning. We have six rooms and I got a dozen of the buckets.
So the real answer is you just have to get down here for a night and check it out for yourself!! Now's a good time to visit us (except next week when we're at conference).
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