NEW YORK, May 2 (UPI) -- Major hotels have decided to phase out the hotel minibar due to a decrease in popularity that has led to them not being cost effective.
Marriott, Hilton, and Hyatt hotels have all begun to remove the minibar amenity from their hotels. while some of them are choosing to leave the fridge for their guests' perishable items, they will no longer be filled with overpriced snacks, drinks, and liquor.
The trend is starting as people in hotels are choosing to pick up cheaper snacks and drinks at nearby convenience stores and are being more social by drinking in the hotel lobby bars.
A recent Tripadvisor survey said only 21 percent of travelers said they cared about the presence of a minibar in their hotel room.
"The hotel minibar is a dying amenity," said travel expert Jimmy Im. "[Hotels] are losing a lot of money from the minibar. Not only is it expensive to have a minibar, but people are stealing things."
Loews Hollywood Hotel is redirecting their expenses on the minibars to upgrading their lobby with comfortable sofas and adding a new bar to keep up with the shifting clientele.
Read More
- Brunei becomes the first East Asian country to enact Sharia law
- Las Vegas 'masseuse' stashes $35,000 stolen Rolex in her vagina
- Russian official reacts to Sochi problems; reveals hotel rooms have surveillance cameras
- Hotel chain testing program of using smartphones as room keys
- Executive indicted in N.C. hotel guests' carbon monoxide deaths
