Hot water needs to travel from your water heater to your faucet. When you're waiting for hot water to come out of your faucet, all the room temperature/cool water that has been sitting in the pipes will need to clear first, before the heated water can get to the faucet.

If you are in a room that is far away from the water heater, it can take a considerable amount of time before the residual water has pushed out of the pipes. If it is cold outside, the water sitting in the pipes is cold, making the effect especially pronounced.

If you have a recirculating pump installed and it’s still taking excessively long to get hot water, the pump may need service.