I arrive at a hotel and there's a small electric kettle right on the table in my room, like in a dorm. I don't use it at all - it just feels like you never know how they cleaned it. Is it normal not to use it, or am I missing something about hotel etiquette?
It's really not about etiquette here - it's purely a matter of your own comfort and trust. I usually check the kettle in my hotel room: I'll open it, look to see if there's any buildup or anything suspicious, and sometimes I even rinse it with boiling water before using it. If it looks clean and recently washed, I use it without worry; if something seems off - I either get a room with something else or just use cold water from the kettle.
But your decision not to use it at all is completely fine. Nobody's monitoring whether guests are boiling water in the electric kettle - it's just there for convenience if someone needs it. There's definitely no breach of etiquette.
Don't use it if you're not sure - that's completely normal and there's no breach of etiquette at all. The kettle in the room is more of a convenience option for those who want to make tea, not an obligation to use it, and the hotel understands that.
The main thing is don't beat yourself up about it. It's your room, your health, and nobody's going to judge you for preferring to order tea to your room or having it at the hotel cafe. There's no "right" way to do this.
But if you still want to use the kettle, a quick check won't hurt - exactly what was suggested above. When I travel somewhere for a longer stay, for example, I open the kettle, look inside in good light, and sometimes rinse it with hot tap water before using it for the first time. Once in a small hotel I found something truly gross in there - this brownish coating, a thick layer of limescale. Obviously I didn't use it after that. But in another hotel the kettle looked clean and decent, so I happily made herbal tea with it.
If the kettle's appearance makes you uneasy - trust that feeling. You don't owe anyone an explanation or need to justify yourself. Just use the alternatives: ask the front desk for hot water, order tea to your room, or go to the cafe. At the end of the day, you're paying for comfort, and comfort means feeling at ease.
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