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Are Room Service And Hotel Mini Bars Becoming Obsolete?

The New York Hilton has modified its traditional room service model and has moved to a delivery system after the company has seen less and less room service orders at the hotel.

Hilton has not implemented this across the all of its hotels, as it says different markets have different demands.

But what about mini bars? Are the goodies in hotel room mini fridges as popular as they once were, and are they a profitable business model?

Beth Scott, head of food and beverage for Hilton Worldwide speaks to Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson about the changes the company has made to its food and beverage offerings.

Hobson also speaks with Bjorn Hanson, dean at New York University’s Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management about the overall changes to room service and the mini bar.

Guests

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Mini bar included at The Standard Hotel in Los Angeles. (adamjackson1984/Flickr)
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Mini bar included at The Standard Hotel in Los Angeles. (adamjackson1984/Flickr)

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