Hotel bars are some of the best places in the world to drink. The Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone New Orleans rotates as bartenders swirl Sazeracs. The Connaught Hotel in London has its roving martini cart. Bemelmans Bar in New York serves its Martini with a sidecar. But somehow, the attention to beverages never seems to trickle upstairs, and the minibar tends to reek of a last resort — read: tiny bottles of unimaginative spirits, the inflated price of mixers (when did Coca-Cola start costing $9?) and the glaring lack of decent glassware.
Luckily, that’s changing. Some of the world’s top hotels are elevating the minibar beyond mediocre. They’re getting better bottles, stocking bar tools, calling in sommeliers and even offering nice cocktail ice. For drinkers who travel, it’s never been a better time to stay in.
The minibar first appeared in 1975, when the manager of the Hong Kong Hilton came up with the novel idea of offering guests in-room snacks and sips. Guests loved the convenience, and the hotel loved that drink sales jumped 500%. Done right, the minibar is a business opportunity. Pitch yourself well, and the guests will explore the rest of the property. Dig your in-room Negroni? The fun continues at the lobby bar.
“Having curated selections in the minibar acts as an effective snapshot into our expansive beverage program,” says Michael Scribner, beverage director at Downtown Los Angeles Proper. “Guests appreciate the quality and uniqueness, but it’s supposed to leave you a little wanting. Effectively, the minibar is like an aperitivo — tantalizing and encouraging guests to venture out and try fresh and fun drinks in Cara Cara on our rooftop, or peruse the award-winning wine list in Caldo Verde. Maybe even seek quiet refuge in the contemplative cocktails of Dahlia. In that aspect, we find it very successful.”
In this day and age, a good minibar is also non-negotiable. Today’s guests are drink-savvy and well-traveled. Of leisure travelers, 53% consider themselves “culinary travelers” and prioritize food and drink in their decision-making processes, according to the World Food Travel Association.
“Guests these days know their stuff — they can spot quality and appreciate something with a good story behind it,” says Jonathan Rush, general manager of Nashville’s Hutton Hotel. “A boring minibar just doesn’t cut it anymore.”
Rosewood Mayakoba, a luxury resort in the Riviera Maya, stocks each room with a bottle of mezcal, fresh pineapple juice and house-made chili syrup, plus bar tools — shakers, jiggers, strainers and rim salts — to ensure in-room cocktails gets the proper treatment. “We also provide guests with sipping cups to enjoy the rest of the mezcal during their stay,” says Antoine Rigaud, the executive assistant manager of food and beverage at the property. “It’s perfect for when they’re getting ready for dinner. We call that ritual un poquito de amor, or ‘a little bit of love.’”
At the Hotel Fauchon in Paris, Champagne and foie gras are replenished daily, and the cost is included in the price of the room. Rooms at The Proper’s DTLA location are stocked with sommelier-approved wines: half bottles of cult Cava Raventos i Blanc and Rioja legend Vina Tondonia, and single-serve cans of Nomadica, a local female-owned wine brand. Abstainers aren’t left out; cans of N/A Ghia and East Imperial Tonic are well-stocked (as are local spirits if you’d prefer to mix).
At the aforementioned Hutton Hotel, the minibar has a Music City twist: canned wines and sangrias from Nashville urban winery Love & Exile, spicy Ranch Waters from Lone River, single-serve Margaritas from Lost State Distilling and Jack Daniel’s Jack & Cokes. “We like to think our beverage program gives guests a real taste of Nashville,” Rush says. “It started with wanting to make the minibar less boring. Now, it’s not just about filling the minibar, it’s about surprising guests with something cool they haven’t tried before.” And guests are digging it. “We get a lot of compliments, and it definitely piques their interest in our on-site bar and restaurant,” he adds.
A few years ago, CH Projects (the guys behind Polite Provisions and Raised by Wolves) took over San Diego’s historic Lafayette Hotel. They’re beverage geeks, so when they opened the property, they made sure there were plenty of good places to get a drink, including two restaurants and four bars (a New Orleans-inspired lobby bar, the Italo-tropical Pool Bar and an Oaxacan-inspired restaurant). And the perks get better as you check in.
Paul McGee, owner of Chicago’s Lost Lake, curated a selection of rare and small-batch spirits for each room’s minibar. If you’re thirsty, select your spirit, then follow the provided recipe cards. It’s also stocked with coupes, shot glasses, strainers and three different types of citrus. Call the front desk first, and they’ll bring up cocktail ice. For beverage director Alicia Perry, the benefits are twofold: A good in-room bar helps give weeknight guests a more intimate experience, and it helps amplify the energy of the Friday-Saturday crowd.
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Via Carota puts a uniquely delicious twist on pre-batched drinksAt The Dominick in New York’s Soho neighborhood, stocking the hotel minibar is also about setting a mood. “It’s bringing the essence of the neighborhood into the hotel,” says Andor Lato, assistant director of food and beverage. They offer bottled Espresso Martinis and Negronis from Via Carota, Rita Sodi and Jody Williams’s acclaimed West Village restaurant. A Via Carota Martini is also available via room service, with or without caviar.
Petit Soleil, a boutique B&B in San Luis Obispo by Good Lion Hospitality, also went the bottled cocktail route (house-made white Negronis or bourbon Manhattans with orange byrrh). The mini bar also features rare spirits and local wines. “We’ve had lots of interest from our guests about our bottled cocktails, wine selections and lobby cocktails, and all of that interest dovetails into opportunities to converse about the things we’re most passionate about: food, drink and travel,” says co-founder Brandon Ristaino. “For example, a chat about our complimentary aperitif wines with a guest may spill into local winery or restaurant discussions and recommendations.”
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