Mini-bar

A refrigerated mini-bar in a hotel

A mini-bar is a small, private snack and beverage bar often found in upscale Western-style hotel rooms.

Overview

Typically, a minibar comes in the form of a counter and small refrigerator stocked with a precise inventory. The room's guests can take a beverage or snack at any time during their stay. The bar is commonly stocked with small bottles of alcoholic beverages, juice, and soft drinks as well as candy, cookies, crackers, and other small snacks. Prices are generally very high compared to similar items purchased from a store, because the guest is paying for the convenience of the items and upkeep of the bar. Prices vary, but it is not uncommon for one can non-alcoholic beverage to cost between $4-$10. Many hotels have progressed further to offer non-food items, such as socks, toiletries, and condoms. Some even use infrared or other high-tech methods of automatically recording purchases.

The Automatic Revolution

Bartech Automatic System installed the first automatic system, manufactured by Indel B, in 1988 at the Hilton Geneva in Switzerland. The concept of an automatic system is to generate significantly more profit for the hotel's operation as each item removed from the minibar is recorded in a sophisticated management software. The software offers consumption reports that indicate to the staff which rooms should be refilled and what products they should refill the room's mini-bar with. Huge savings in labor costs are associated with automatic mini-bars. Other benefits such as a decrease in front desk minibar charge disputes and improvement in guest satisfaction have been established.

The Compressor Evolution

Indel B was the first manufacturer to install a compressor refrigerator in the NASA Space Shuttle in 1982. In 2008 was produced the first A+ class compressor minibar. Compressor refrigeration unit, in addition with timer and an eutectic plate, allow to save more energy, compared to traditional absorption minibar.

External Links

• Bartech Automatic Systems
• Indel B minibars