Ndtyhij

Even if guests at luxury hotels (like Shangri-La, Hilton's Waldorf Astoria, Marriott's Ritz-Carlton) don't desire to cook on vacation, this majority unwillingness doesn't explain why hotels can't offer at least 1 communal kitchen(ette) for the minority who do desire to cook?

Isn't it obvious that a communal kitchen would be used more than recreational facilities like the Four Seasons Maui's 'Games Room and video games including PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 & Nintendo Wii'?

I know that some properties' larger suites or villas contain kitchens, but other hotel guests can't use them. I'm not asking about extended stay hotels that have kitchens, as they are uncommon.

This question was spurred by my grandparents currently traveling in Hawaii, who are yearning to prepare Hawaiian foods themselves like coconut, taro, sweet potato, and local fish. Why pay $50 for one piece of tuna at a restuarant, when they can buy it for $5 and grill it themselves?

NOTE: This is a speculative answer as I do not own or manage a hotel, but I have several friends who do.

It is mostly likely because people who afford luxury hotels also want the luxury of having meals cooked for them and can afford it too. So they eat in restaurants and many of those same luxury hotels offer high-end restaurants in order to capitalize on the buying power of their guests.

One can imagine that some people might prefer to have their own kitchen, but luxury hotels usually do not offer that service, because the demand is probably rather limited. Kitchens are convenient to lower the cost of meals yet consume a lot of time. Time to cook, locate and buy food in an unknown location. This might be fun for some type of travellers, but I expect that most will prefer to spend time abroad enjoying the sights, working for business trips and even trying out local dishes where they are staying.

You mention resort locations specifically and those are usually places with multiple restaurants, meal plans and all-inclusive which says that those type of locations cater more to people who would rather avoid cooking or even the effort to choose where to eat. Granted, this is not everyone, but one would guess it to be the majority.

Another point in your question is for single-bed rooms, but it is my opinion that the market for lodging having a kitchen is greater for larger rooms, particularly families. When you have small children and a number of them, there is greater need for a kitchen. Kids my be picky eaters and have a different meal schedule than adults. A meal at a restaurant sometimes can be stressful on parents when they deal with various needs and demands, not to mention the lack of children's prices and portions in some establishments.

Where we do regularly see kitchens in high-end accommodations is in remote areas. This is for people resting and escaping from it all. In this case, there is not much sense to maintain a staffed restaurant on site, but they often take orders and deliver groceries for the guests (or their cook) to cook. I have seen tours where they pick guests up from the airport, take them grocery shopping and drop them off at the remote lodging right after.

The premise of this question is flawed. A hotel room is pretty much defined as a place to sleep, and not much else. Once you add in a kitchen, you've moved from "hotel room" to serviced apartment (aka residence, villa, etc), and luxury chains absolutely do cater to this market. Here's a couple of random examples:

• 
  Ascott Makati -- the whole Ascott chain's concept is luxury serviced apartments


• 
  Sheraton Denarau Villas -- same management and facilities as the Sheraton Resort next door, but you get a kitchen, laundry facilities, etc


• Hilton Noumea La Promenade Residences

And yes, all of these can be booked for as little as one day, they're not just for extended stays.

People who book luxury hotels don't have the time to cook. That feature is the kind of thing you find in youth hostels, or better hiking trail "huts". Especially today, in the age of Doordash and Uber Eats, it is insanely easy to get food of any variety delivered.

Guest cooking would compete with the hotel's own food service. They do not want you making Shrimp Vindaloo, they want you to pay the hotel's concierge to fetch it from a good local restaurant.

Of course, some hotels are willing to rent you fully equipped apartments with a kitchen, in which case your right to cook is part of the deal.