A hotel mini bar is meant to be for those late-night moments when you get the midnight munchies – and can’t possibly find an open supermarket for some emergency Pringles.
Many relish the opportunity to pop open a £4 bag of nuts and a £9 glass of wine while in a hotel room; for some holidaymakers, it screams the height of luxury.
But in recent times, hotels have branched out from the ordinary to add some unconventional items to their offering.
The tiny spirit bottles with an expensive price tag still exist but mini bars in hotels have evolved
From intimacy kits and sex toys to weird and wonderful foodstuffs – adaptogen cookies, anyone? – the options are seemingly limitless.
Here, we’ve compiled a rundown of some of the most bizarre mini bar items around the world, many of which are a far cry from the chocolates and crisps you might be hankering for…
Intimacy kits
Feeling frisky? The Simply Miniatures Kit provides all the intimacy products one might need
The abundance of vibrators and sex toys at hotels is hardly new, but for those who are used to a certain – shall we say, discreet? – hotel experience, this might come as a shock.
Equinox Hudson Yards in New York has sex toys available in its rooms, including wearable vibrators, lubricants and wellness kits.
Closer to home, plenty of UK-based establishments have jumped on the bandwagon, such as the One Hundred Shoreditch, London.
Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Hotels have even offered a ‘Lovers’ Intimacy Kit’ in the minibar since 2015 – with condoms, lubricant and a small vibrator.
While some visitors may be shocked, others are keen to jump on the bandwagon, with one company that supplies hotels with minibar items, Mini Bar Products, offering a ‘Simply Miniatures Kit. Designed to fit in the door section of a Minibar’.
It features two condoms, lubricant, fun dice and a feather tickler, with the company saying it is ‘such a popular kit with hotel guests’.
Pure oxygen
And now, breathe… Banyan Tree Ringha has oxygen machines available in bedrooms
Given its high altitude at 3,300 metres above sea level, the Banyan Tree Ringha in the Shangri-La region of Yunnan, China has the potential to see guests affected by altitude sickness.
To combat this, the hotel provides disposable oxygen tanks to help visitors adapt to the high altitude.
Oxygen machines are available in all guest rooms at Banyan Tree Ringha. You activate it by scanning a WeChat QR code.
Free usage is allowed twice per day, one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening. Extra usage is charged at RMB 30 (£3.30) to 60 (£6.60) per hour.
The hotel also sells portable oxygen cylinders at the front desk for RMB 54 (£6) per bottle.
Love voodoo kit
If you’re of the spiritual variety, this might take your fancy.
The Omni Royal Crescent Hotel, New Orleans reportedly offers a ‘love voodoo kit’ in its mini bar.
The voodoo kit allegedly contains a stuffed doll, pins and an instruction manual, according to previous Qantas reports.
So it’s great for conjuring up some good (or bad) juju – make someone fall in love with you, perhaps? Or get revenge on your enemies?
Playing cards and dice
Let the good times roll: Games and paying dice are on offer at The Beaumont Mayfair
Board and card games are a classic pastime at hotels – and one establishment comes prepared.
The Beaumont Mayfair has playing cards, dice and a games booklet written especially for the hotel in the mini bar.
One review read: ‘We especially loved the Beaumont dice and playing cards left out on the side table accompanied by a vintage booklet of card games for guests to play.’
Another added: ‘Smaller touches have been thoughtfully added too, such as Beaumont-branded playing cards on the desk.’
RoomBar – the world’s healthiest in-room snack banquet
Health kick: The plethora of wellbeing-focused items is the USP of Equinox Hotel’s minibar
Equinox Hotel in New York has reimagined the minibar as the RoomBar – dubbed ‘the world’s healthiest in-room snack banquet’ by High Life.
It is a curated selection of more than 80 items, from nutrient-rich snacks to targeted vitamins and supplements.
The collection also includes signature tea blends, crafted to support immunity and wellbeing.
It also includes vitamin B1 hangover patches, magnesium muscle cream, adaptogen cookies, vegan probiotics and workout gear for an added cost.
Plus, you can get a ‘Regeneration Tool Kit’, which offers resistance bands, foam rollers, yoga mats and more – to help you stay in shape.
The musical minibar
Take notes! The Thompson Nashville has an alternative musical minibar
The Thompson Nashville is a boutique hotel located in the US city with a musical reputation.
Nashville is known for its vibrant nightlife, museums and a continuous lineup of live shows – and this establishment is just minutes from Broadway’s Honky Tonks, Bridgestone Arena, Music Row and the Frist Art Museum.
But it’s not just outside the hotel that you can find a foray into the world of music.
Thompson Nashville wanted to offer guests something beyond the traditional snacks and beverages found in a hotel minibar, so incorporated a selection of vinyls from Jack White’s Third Man Records to reflect the creative spirit of Nashville.
The selection includes a variety of genres, including established and up-and-coming artists. Guests in the hotel’s suites and Penthouse can listen to the vinyls on in-room Victrola record players, and all guests can enjoy access to a complimentary vinyl library in the lobby.
‘Since opening in 2016, Thompson Nashville has set the standard for immersive guest experiences that capture the creative Southern spirit of Nashville,’ says Lisa Bush, Thompson Nashville’s director of sales and marketing. ‘Today’s travellers are prioritising experiences that feel authentic to the destination, and every detail of Thompson Nashville, from our locally curated minibar to our biweekly Whiskey & Vinyl classes, is designed to celebrate Music City.’
Emergency bowtie
It’s knot a joke: One hotel even provides emergency bowties for guests
Have you ever been in a fashion pickle while abroad – heading a black tie event with nothing to wear, perhaps?
Well, if you’re staying at the QT Sydney, this won’t be much of a problem, as the establishment ditches the boring minibar for a fun twist: it has an emergency bowtie.
One Tripadvisor review of the hotel said: ‘Let’s get to the room; what a treat.
‘Mine had two double beds and the best stocked minibar I’ve ever seen with everything from snacks and a Nespresso machine to Pick up Sticks and an emergency bowtie kit.’
The beauty minibar at Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles
Mask your excitement! At Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles, a skincare mini fridge acts as the mini bar
The Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles last year launched a less chocolatey – and far more pricey – minibar option: the beauty edition.
With a total value of $142 (£106), the luxury establishment provided skincare-obsessed guests with SmartGoggles, an infrared blanket, an LED mask by SkinAct and more – all from a mini-fridge filled with the top products in beauty.
Other items included a travel kit with Hinoki Cleanser, as well as eye masks.
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