Tag: Hotel Minibars View All Tags
Hilton Hotels
Hilton's Expands Its"Requests Upon Arrival" To All
November 24, 2008 at 10:00 AM | 0 Comments
We're not sure what it means when we hear that Hilton Hotels have expanded their Requests Upon Arrival program from special HHonors members to any ordinary folk who book a room; either it was a raging success or not enough loyalty club people were using it.
Either way the point of the program is to anticipate any needs we might have and give us the option to request stuff before we arrive. Hilton divides it all up into Complimentary, Food & Beverage and Miscellaneous sections.
Hotel Sex
A $195 Hotel Sex Kit Should at Least Contain Birth Control Pills
August 6, 2008 at 2:11 PM | 0 Comments
Sex is one of the last fun, free things to do in this world. You get a workout without a pricey gym membership. You get to kiss someone. It feels good; it's nice. If the sex doesn't suck, it's fun -- and if it does suck, then you at least have a fun story to tell the next day.
But leave it to Thompson Hotels to put a steep price tag on your sexytime!
When we stayed at the Thompson LES this weekend, we spied this Sensuality Kit chillin' in the minibar. How hip and trendy! Sex kits! Hooray! Oh, but wait: this is a sex kit that will run you a hot $195.
The little box -- from upscale intimacy boutique Kiki de Montparnasse -- contains personal lubricant, condoms, silk ties, and a teeny signature vibe.
Guess they're hoping we'll dive into the minibar in the heat of the moment looking for something to make the sex a bit hotter.
And we will! But we'll go straight for the vodka, thank you.
Hotel News
Minibar Happy Hour Satisfies Your Drunk Munchies
July 9, 2008 at 4:35 PM | 3 Comments
Picture this: you're in your hotel room, sort of drunk from happy hour cocktails in the lobby bar. You're dying for a snack. The hotel minibar is right there.
But you stop your hot little hands from reaching for that little fridge because its contents are SO expensive, not to mention the crap in there is SO unhealthy.
Yeah, we've all been there.
Luckily, at least one hotel as finally recognized the frequency of such devastating standard minibar situations and has come up with the perfect solution to satisfy our after-dinner (or after-cocktail) munchies: offering semi-healthy items in the minibar -- and a Minibar Happy Hour.
Hotel Minibars
PM Linkage: Where Hotels Order The Goodies and the Sex Kits for the Mini-Bars
March 4, 2008 at 5:39 PM | 0 Comments
It's almost as if we stumbled upon the mother lode. In-Room Plus is a website that sells specialty products for hotel mini-bars. For instance, Kimpton Hotels orders their standard intimacy kits from this place.
However, the site does sell some fancier sex kits like this Lover's Paint Box from Kamasutra products. Who can say no to edible body chocolate?
We've perused the wares and it's been a fun way of killing the last hour of a hectic workday. Here are more suggestions
· Cocoa Bons: The best in chocolates but we love the cocktail-flavored jelly beans.
· Clarity towelettes: Don't get too excited. These expensive, designer-packaged wipes are just for cleaning your lenses.
· 1 Litre Water: Paging Barry Sternlicht. THE perfect amenity for his 1 Hotels.
· Oxia: Also, who can resist their personal can of oxygen. Much better than the stuff the rest of the little people are breathing.
· Raw Lip Balm: As an obsessive lip balm wearer and wielder (on our desk right now are two things of Carmex and one of Rosebud salve), we think this should be mandatory in all minibars.
· First Aid Kit: Because stuff can go wrong when trying Kamasutra.
London Hotels
Levin Hotel Offers Cocktail Heaven, At A Price
December 12, 2007 at 10:38 AM | 0 Comments
Love your cocktails? We do. And what better than the chance to mix your own cocktails inside your very own hotel room, avoiding the need to look hopelessly drunk in front of others or having a long distance to crawl to bed.
It sounds good in theory, at least, and a UK Times reviewer certainly had a lot of fun testing the concept recently with a stay at the boutique Levin Hotel in Knightsbridge, London (right next to Harrods!).
The Levin features a champagne cocktail minibar in every room. That means a fridge full of half-bottles of expensive champagne, a bunch of other ingredients for mixing, a collection of glasses of various shapes and a set of instructions for mixing nine different champagne cocktails.
As you'd expect, it's not cheap: the Times reviewer spent as much on the minibar as she did on the room--around £230 ($470). But if you're spoiling yourself and can't resist the sound of a bellini (quarter-bottle of crème de pêche with a quarter-bottle of peach juice, topped up with champagne), money should be no object.
[Photo: Tavallai]
Related Stories:
· Champagne Cocktails in a London Hotel [UK Times]
· The Levin Reopens With Luxe Look [HotelChatter]
Hotel Minibars
Australian Hotel Guests Can Fight Urge to Eat $14 Snickers Bar
August 28, 2007 at 9:00 AM | 0 Comments
The hotel world seems to have a love-hate relationship with the minibar. One day, they are supposed to be dying. The next, they are offering cigarettes and sex toys. It seems Australia is no different.
A recent survey by Accor in Australia about hotel minibar usage Down Under has come up with a few interesting results: some surprising, and some entirely predictable.
Hotel Surveys
Sex, Drugs, False Teeth and Hotel Surveys
August 9, 2007 at 11:05 AM | 0 Comments
We've seen plenty of hotel surveys that cover guest satisfaction and brand preferences, but this Lost and Bound July one from Kayak gets extra credit for pushing the envelope.
Where else can you see how many people have booked rooms by the hour and what odd things were left in their rooms by other guests?
Costa Rica Hotel Reviews
Killer View: Hotel de Montaña Monteverde in Costa Rica
June 1, 2007 at 11:28 AM | 0 Comments
The Monteverde Cloudforest Reserve in Costa Rica is known for its range of plants and wildlife, but also for the notoriously terrible gravel and dirt road you must traverse for over an hour to get there. So it's nice to settle into a hotel with a balcony and a killer view.
Hotel de Montaña Monteverde is not the fanciest or most expensive place in the area, but it's hard to top its unobstructed view of rolling hills, wispy clouds, and the distant gulf. There's also a similarly great view from the wall-of-glass restaurant and the cozy bar with an outdoor balcony area.
Besides that, rooms here are indestinguished except for two standout factors: giant soaking tubs and a minibar with prices that actually make you want to use it. We had two beers and a soda and the damage was under $6.
Related Stories:
· Hotels in Costa Rica [HotelChatter]
Hotel Minibars
And Now for Some Not So Surprising Hotel News: Hotel Minibars are Expensive
May 23, 2007 at 9:26 AM | 0 Comments
TripAdvisor's latest survey has come to the not-very-surprising conclusion that hotel minibars are too expensive. 94% of hotel guests surveyed say they would use a minibar if it was cheaper. We hope they didn't spend too much time working that one out.
In slightly more interesting results, TripAdvisor found that a quarter of people have had a dispute with a hotel over a minibar charge; people have had charges added to their bill just for moving things around or storing their own things in modern motion/weight sensor minibars.
About a fifth of respondents admitted to doing "the ol' switcheroo", bringing back a much cheaper can of Coke from the supermarket to replace what they drank in desperation the night before.
Finally, survey respondents were asked what snacks they'd prefer to find in the minibar, and lots of people decided they'd like sandwiches, healthy snacks and fruit. But we're not sure if a late-night, drunken binge would really be satisfied by carrot sticks and an apple.
[Photo taken of minibar sign at the Red Rock Resort & Spa]
Related Stories:
· Travelers Steer Clear of Minibars [TripAdvisor]
· Condoms and Tequila From the Minibar [HotelChatter]
Hotel Minibars
Off-the-Wall Minibar Amenities
April 18, 2007 at 11:17 AM | 3 Comments
Earlier we touched on a hotel with no minibar and last fall we featured a chart from the Sunday Times on the minibar price of a Coca-cola around the world. (As in $9 in one London hotel.)
Real Simple magazine recently released a travel issue, which turned out to be mostly pages and pages of lists. Some of these lists were routine, but we liked this one: "Off-the-wall Minibar Amenities." Kudos to these hotels for creativity.
Harmonica (Hotel Allegro, Chicago)
Moon Pies (Westin Buckhead, Atlanta)
Licorice whips (the Standard, Los Angeles)
Gourmet dog biscuits (the Loews, Denver)
Rubber ducks (Triton, San Francisco)
Oxygen dispenser (Westin, New York City)
In the photo above, we're not sure what some of those items are in the minibar basket at the Hotel Palomar in D.C., but there may be a Pez dispenser and a CD in there. But hey, we're just happy to see some items that aren't just the usual fat globs from Hershey's or Frito-Lay. If you're going to make us pay a mark-up of 600 percent or more, at least make it something interesting!
[Photo: quick lunar cop]
Related Stories:
· Hotel minibars hijack your hunger cravings at ridiculous prices [HotelChatter]
· Bath's Queensberry is Pleasant, But Lacks Minibars [HotelChatter]
Hotel Minibars
Hotel Minibars Hijack Your Hunger Cravings at Ridiculous Prices
October 5, 2006 at 11:51 AM | 0 Comments
Hotels know that when you check-in to your hotel room, the hunger pains that you've acquired during your long travel day are so strong that you will think twice about paying $5 for a candy bar but in the end, you will ultimately give-in because you are starving.
No doubt, it's an evil ploy on the hotel's part which is why The Sunday Times has compiled their List of Shame--hotel minibars that charge outrageous prices for snacks.
Obviously, this investigation was spurred by the ridiculous prices but we have a feeling it was the motion-sensors in the fridge that really this reporter off:
The price isn't even the worst of it. What about the minibars that are booby-trapped? If you so much as lift a product out of them, BANG!! It's on the hotel bill for you to argue over on departure. Electronic tagging is controversial enough on criminals. How do they get away with it on Pringles?
And who's the worst offender? It has to be the Ritz Paris who charges about $12.50 for a canette of coke.
So far, hotels offer up lame excuses for their prices like,"[O]ne must expect to pay the price for eating a Kit Kat in such palatial surroundings," even though you've already bought a room there.
But we think hotels follow the old "If you're so rich and you can buy a room here then a $13 coke shouldn't faze you" mentality.
Related Stories:
· The great hotel minibar rip-off [Times Online]
