Disappearance of the minibar, the financial magic trick of hotels
- François Remy
- Sep 17
- 3 min read
Hotel chains are rethinking their business models in an effort to maximize the value of every square meter. Elements of the experience once considered unshakeable are disappearing, such as minibars. This is merely a diversion, to redirect customers' attention and, more importantly, their spending elsewhere. Abracadabra...
A well-executed magic trick relies on carefully honed techniques. Take diversion, for example. By drawing attention to what’s disappearing, we divert our gaze from what’s really happening elsewhere. The illusion of emptiness serves other purposes. The vanishing minibar trick in hotel rooms offers a singular illustration, as design expert Ron Swidler, CEO of The Gettys Group, reveals in the Wall Street Journal 's Pro Perfected series .
The minibar is just one part of a larger financial strategy: reducing room size while maintaining guest satisfaction, in order to optimize space and maximize every available square inch. Closets, desks, ironing boards - everything non-essential is removed. On a property-wide scale, these small eliminations offer substantial savings. Hotel groups can even extend the walls to create more rooms, which can be cleaned more quickly, with the same or less labor.
And yet, by definition, the minibar doesn’t occupy much space. What's more, this miniature fridge, stocked with drinks and snacks, serves as a direct point of sale in the room and could be quite lucrative. However, the minibar requires a disproportionate amount of attention (checking inventory, restocking daily) and ultimately proves costly to manage. So it’s not a sacrifice at all – quite the opposite.
Revitalizing places of interaction… and consumption
"It's not about making cut-rate optimizations, it's about removing low-value items, like rarely used minibars, to reinvest that space where it really counts," insists Ron Swidler in a supplementary note on the profitability of hotel rooms .
The key to customer satisfaction, and the revenue it generates, lies outside the room. By reducing the burden of rooms on operations, operators give themselves the opportunity to expand and energize common areas, whether bars and lounges, restaurants, or grab-and-go points of sale. "You have to offer guests breathing space in common areas. This also creates sales opportunities," explains the CEO of The Gettys Group.
In his explanatory note, the designer cites the $3,000 in monthly revenue (~€2,500) generated by the grab-and-go counter at the Moxy Hotel, a mid-range Marriott brand located in the Canadian resort of Banff, in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. A significant return on investment for this service requiring few staff.
Custom reconfiguration
More broadly, every surface, every cleaning routine, represents a design opportunity. The number of seats in a bar directly influences staffing needs. By understanding the balance between volume and labor, it is possible to "maximize financial impact while minimizing operational costs."
Even check-in can take place at the bar counter, creating a lively first impression while reducing staffing needs. Significant missed opportunities should be identified by analyzing local competition, customer profiles, and demand drivers in the area.
Hotels should "review all the restaurants and bars in the area to understand where the real opportunities are to do something different. Every element should feel perfectly in place and offer guests something they can't find anywhere else nearby," says Swidler.
No matter how perfectly conceived the optimization, it’s ultimately up to hotel operators to ensure service quality. A large part of the overall experience will always depend on the teams' ability to ensure guest happiness. And then, the financial magic will happen...
