Hotel trends: discussing the rise and fall of the minibar

B2
90 min
Premium
1

Think about these questions before watching. Share your ideas with a partner.

  1. Think about a time you were traveling and felt tempted by an expensive convenience, like a minibar snack or airport food. What made you decide to either buy it or resist?
  2. Beyond the basics like a clean room, what small in-room hotel features or services do you think offer the best value and make a stay truly memorable?
  3. Considering how travel has changed, what once-popular hotel amenities do you think are becoming obsolete, and what new ones do you predict will become standard in the future?
2

Watch the video from 1:55 to 6:05. Pay attention to the main ideas, key vocabulary, and examples in this section.

Video script165 segments · click a timestamp to jump

We've all been there countless hours of

traveling. Arriving at a hotel at odd hours,

tired, hungry, and tempted by the ultimate

convenience the hotel has to offer the minibar.

But a can of soda, a bag of stale chips and a

candy bar at 3 a.m.

adds up. In fact, it costs about 80% to 400%

more than what you paid for at the store.

You wanted it, and then you see the bill

two days later.

But initially, the minibar was put in

rooms. It was a novelty.

And then it sort of devolved into an annoyance.

And Minibars got the, uh, sort of the comedic

punchline of being undersized and overpriced.

But the sentiment around Minibars wasn't always

negative. In its heyday, minibars were often paired

with the feeling of luxury and the allure of traveling,

but the convenience factor wore off,

becoming a hassle for guests and an even bigger hassle

for hotels.

Traditional minibar operation would never be

profitable. They would always lose money.

It is seen to be one of the worst operations at the

hotel level.

Operational cost climbed.

Theft was rampant.

Food spoiled and guest guess preferences shifted.

Cnbc looked at why the once essential amenity became

obsolete. The minibar didn't go global until 1974,

when a Hilton hotel in Hong Kong started stocking its

in-room fridges with tiny liquor bottles inspired by

airlines.

Then comes cocktail time, offered with the compliments

of your host.

Airline drink sales soared 500% that year,

boosting Hilton's overall revenue by 5%.

The concept quickly spread worldwide.

Soon, minibar expanded beyond alcohol,

adding sodas, snacks and candy.

Hilton even standardized offerings so guests could

expect the same selections no matter where they stayed.

Yes. The travel.

Want to see items that they would find in their own

fridge at home? That's why you have Coke items or M&Ms

would always be a bit more profitable.

In the early days.

Operations were simple guests.

Your hotel staff would make note of what the guests had

taken. As hotels began to fill each room with

minibars. The amenity became a burden by the early

aughts. Some chains began phasing out the minibar

altogether, citing rising operational costs and

declining usage as primary drivers.

But besides the financial losses,

the logistical nightmare of constantly checking and

restocking proved to be a strain on hotels.

One factor that led to the, I guess,

the demise of the fully stocked minibar,

and that's rising labor cost and the cost replenishing

these in addition to cleaning the rooms.

One minibar attendant can visit about 100 rooms per

day. You would have four people.

Theft was another issue since not every guest would

consume from the minibar.

It could take days before a guest or hotel staff

discovered that the content of the bottles wasn't

actually vodka or whiskey, but instead water or tea.

Guest would dispute all charges contributing to a

time consuming and costly headache.

For years, one of Marriott's largest locations in Times

Square had eight full time staffers working its 150

minibars. But by 2004, that location moved all of

them. The proliferation of smart mini bars was an

effort to improve efficiency.

Nowadays it's much easier.

Everything is online and you would know where to go to

visit those rooms to refill those items.

Instead of going to visit every single room in the

hotel.

Bartek is one of the leaders in smart mini bars.

The company works with 1400 hotels worldwide.

Majority of them are luxury and high end properties.

Only about 1 in 3 guests use a minibar if available to

them. The average daily transaction is $12.

So for a hotel with 100 rooms,

roughly 33 of them generate about $400 in revenue on a

daily basis. Despite their modest usage,

automated minibars pay themselves in 9 to 18 months

and typically lasts up to a decade.

Today, manually operated minibars are pretty much

obsolete. Agario believes they're underused in

midscale hotels because the value customer can't justify

spending at the minibar.

The average daily rate is the most important factor.

For example, if the room rate was $75 Dollars per

night. You would.

It's unlikely you would purchase a $5 coupe.

Between 2007 and 2012.

Minibar revenues at hotels dropped by 28%,

while hotel lounge bars saw a 5% rise.

Surveyed U.S. travelers ranked Minibars as their

least desired amenity at a hotel.

Eventually, hotels emptied their minibars altogether,

letting guests use them for their own food and drinks

instead. Lobbies are becoming more of a focal

point.

What do you think about hotel lobbies? They went

through three stages and I call them three C's

communication, commerce and community.

So in the beginning, hotel lobbies were just a

place for you to communicate with your desk agent.

And then the addition of putting in revenue

generating amenities in the lobby so that you can have a

bar, you might have a little grab and go,

a little restaurant. And then in the most recent redo

of hotel lobbies, a lot of brands have

realized that they also need communal spaces.

Over the years, you've seen the evolution,

much like an open floor plan really coming,

and also with a little bit of labor.

Thinking that there could be more synergies and that you

could start to really fuze together.

And it's hard to distinguish,

really. Am I sitting in the bar or am I sitting in the

lobby? All of this is really to draw guests out of the

room.

In recent years, delivery apps have seen a

rise in popularity among hotel guests,

offering easy access to plenty of options among

local restaurants without the need to leave the hotel

room. Wyndham teamed up with DoorDash in 2019,

offering $0 delivery fees and 2000 signup points,

and it's over 3700 locations in the US.

Marriott Uber began its partnership in 2021,

letting guests earn hotel points when ordering with

Uber Eats from designated hotels.

In 2024, Hilton named Grubhub its go to delivery

service, giving guests perks like a free month of Grubhub

Plus. And so far, it's worked.

For example, the share of Uber Eats Marriott customers

grew twice as much as non Marriott customers between

2019 and 2025.

Instead of having room service open till 2 or 3 in

the morning, where they might get very few orders,

is to basically have guests order room service from the

entire location. So if you're in a city,

all restaurants in town that deliver are on your room

service menu.

While Value and Midscale hotels have done away with

the minibar almost entirely,

there are some segments that still find a need for them

at their hotels. Boutique hotels have reinvented the

minibar concept by replacing generic snacks and drinks

with curated displays of local goods.

Luxury hotels have gone even further,

offering specific guests fully customized mini bars

that they could choose from, with delivery apps and lobby

marketplaces offering more convenient options,

the once iconic minibar must now evolve or risk becoming

obsolete altogether.

One out of three guests will consume,

but if you have to check in every room,

you will lose the house, even if you sell Cokes for

$10.

3

Answer these questions in your own words. Support your answers with evidence from the video.

01According to the video, what were two major problems hotels faced with manually operated minibars, besides the financial losses?
Sample answerOne big issue was the huge amount of work it took to constantly check and restock them, which was a strain on the staff. Another problem was theft, where guests would drink the alcohol and replace it with water, and the hotel wouldn't find out for days.
02How did the introduction of smart minibars help hotels overcome the efficiency problems of the older system?
Sample answerThey made things much more efficient because everything is online. Instead of staff having to visit every single room to check the minibar, the system tells them exactly which rooms need refilling, which saves a lot of time and labor.
03The video describes the evolution of hotel lobbies through 'three C's'. In what way does this evolution reflect a change in hotel strategy?
Sample answerIt shows that hotels shifted their strategy from selling things to guests inside their private rooms to creating lively public spaces. They added bars and shops to make money in the lobby, and then created community areas to encourage guests to come out, socialize, and spend money there instead of staying in their rooms.
04Why have major hotel chains like Hilton and Marriott started partnering with food delivery apps?
Sample answerThey've partnered with them to adapt to what modern travelers want. Since guests aren't using minibars and prefer more options, hotels are offering the convenience of food delivery. It's a way to provide a valuable service without the cost and hassle of stocking a minibar.
4

Key vocabulary

Vocabulary
The following expressions will help you discuss the topic of business operations and customer service with more precision.
Examples
To streamline operations — to make a business or process simpler and more effective by improving its methods.
Usage note: This is a common business term for improving efficiency. For example, 'The hotel introduced new software to streamline its booking process and reduce guest waiting times.'
A logistical nightmare — a situation that is extremely complicated and difficult to manage or organize.
Usage note: This is a strong, slightly informal expression to emphasize planning difficulties. For example, 'Manually restocking 500 minibars every day was a logistical nightmare for the staff.'
To phase something out — to gradually stop using, producing, or providing something over a period of time.
Usage note: This phrasal verb implies a slow, planned removal, not a sudden stop. It's often used in business contexts, e.g., 'The company is phasing out plastic key cards in favor of digital keys.'
A key driver of (something) — one of the main factors that causes or influences something.
Usage note: This is a common phrase in business and economic discussions. It's a more formal way to say 'a main reason for'. For example, 'Guest satisfaction is a key driver of repeat business for hotels.'
To dispute a charge — to formally state that you disagree with an amount on a bill because you believe it is wrong.
Usage note: This is a very useful phrase for travel and customer service situations. You might say, 'I had to call the front desk to dispute a charge from the minibar that I didn't use.'
5

Read the statements below. Decide if they are true or false based on the video, and correct the false ones.

01A major reason for phasing out traditional minibars was the high cost of labor for restocking them.
02The video states that about half of all hotel guests use the minibar if one is available.
03A common problem with manual minibars was guests replacing expensive alcoholic drinks with cheaper liquids like water.
04According to a survey mentioned in the video, U.S. travelers ranked the minibar as their least desired hotel amenity.
05The three stages of hotel lobby evolution are described as communication, commerce, and convenience.
6

Complete the sentences with words from the box. One word is extra.

Word bank
01The hotel invested in new software to the check-in process and reduce guest waiting times.
02Organizing a conference for 500 people is a challenge, requiring careful planning of rooms, catering, and transport.
03The company is gradually out single-use plastics in its hotels, starting with the toiletries.
04Customer satisfaction is a key of repeat business in the hospitality industry.
05If you believe you were overcharged for the minibar, you have the right to the charge with the front desk.
7

Choose the best answer based on what you heard in the video.

01According to the video, what is the typical return on investment for an automated minibar?
02What is the primary goal behind the recent evolution of hotel lobbies into communal, open-plan spaces?
03The video suggests that minibar usage is closely linked to the hotel's average daily room rate. What is the relationship described?
04As hotels moved away from traditional minibars, they adopted several new strategies. Which of the following strategies is NOT mentioned in the video?
8

Hotel operations and guest services

The video discussed the challenges of managing minibars. Now, let's look at some broader phrases related to running a hotel.

Match the beginning of each sentence on the left with its correct ending on the right.

Drag or click to match
Definitions
9

Discuss these questions with a partner. Try to use vocabulary from the lesson.

  1. The video explains that traditional minibars became a 'logistical nightmare'. Considering modern technology and changing guest preferences, do you think hotels should completely phase out this amenity, or is there a way to reinvent it to be profitable and desirable again?
  2. A key driver of the minibar's early success was stocking familiar, global brands. Thinking about hotels in your country, would a strategy of offering unique, local products be more successful today? What are the pros and cons for both the guest and the hotel's operations?
  3. The video mentioned issues like theft and spoilage, which can lead to guests needing to dispute a charge. If you were a hotel manager trying to streamline operations, what is one specific change you would make to the minibar system to reduce these problems and improve the guest experience?