So Long, Hotel Minibars. Good Riddance.
Travel Blog • Jim Benning • 03.10.06 | 1:43 PM ET
I’ve never taken an item from a hotel room minibar. Five dollar sodas? Ridiculous. Four dollar candy bars? No way. As far as I’m concerned, the things are just a waste of space. And don’t get me started on the hotel staff that knock on your door, waking you from a perfectly good afternoon nap, to ask whether your minibar needs refilling. Let me nap in peace! So I was delighted to read in USA Today that an increasing number of hotels are giving up on minibar price gouging and emptying the little fridges so guests can actually use them for their own drinks or other items. It turns out, ironically, that some hotels are finding the minibars to be big money losers. The pricey drinks and snacks often don’t generate enough revenue to justify staff time refilling them.
Reports Jayne Clark:
The Hilton McLean in suburban Washington, D.C., for instance, is in the process of emptying the last of its 458 minibars, which are being rechristened as plain old refrigerators. The reason: lack of demand.
Similarly, New York’s 1,946-room Marriott Marquis has ousted its minibars, which took 20 employees seven hours to service.
“It was a pure business decision,” spokeswoman Kathy Duffy says. “When we saw how few people were actually using them and the amount of labor it cost to visit each room every day, it was far higher than the revenue.”
Marriott has noted a trend toward refrigerators and away from minibars. And Omni Hotels is testing a sleeker version of the standard minibar that leaves space for guests to store their own items.
Good riddance.
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Jim Benning is the editor and co-founder of World Hum.
Tim 03.10.06 | 9:56 PM ET
I rarely use them, but there are exceptions—as when a beer goes under the $2 mark. That has indeed happened to me in Peru, Turkey, and Indonesia. In the U.S. though, fuggidaboutit!
Jim 03.12.06 | 2:53 PM ET
I’m not sure any of the hotels where I’ve stayed in Turkey, Indonesia and other parts of Asia ever had minibars. At two bucks a beer, perhaps I would have indulged, too.
chris 03.16.06 | 2:52 AM ET
Dear
Do not worry abut the minibar as long as the room rates are that low as they are at this moment
I once was woundering what the guest would say if we sell a room for lets say 50 USD incl breakfast but upon check in we explain the guest
We will charge you 50 USD per room and night but there will be an surcharge for administration of 20 USD plus a flat fuel charge for hot water of 15 USD a night and we would add a peak demand electricity 5 USD charge
Which makes it 90 USD a night.
However at Sanur Beach you stil can book very good value for you rmoney go and check our special offers at www. sanurbeachhotelbali.com / accomodation.
Chris