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Mini Bars in Hotels (1) The introduction of so-called mini bars in Western style hotels dates back to sixties, when Director of Food and Beverage in Hilton International, Robert Arnold came up with the idea of equipping every individual room with mini-refrigerators, stocked with alcohol beverages, to provide utmost convenience for Hiltons guests. However, it was not up until 1974, that Companys top management decided to actually implement Arnold's idea in practice. This year marks the time when, for the first time in history, people who were staying at Hilton hotels, were being given the opportunity to enjoy getting an alcoholic buzz, without having to look for the nearest package store, where alcohol beverages could be bought. The urban legend states that it is during the course of his flights on commercial airlines that Arnold got the idea of mini bars, as he became impressed with miniature vodka bottles, which were sold to the passengers by stewardesses. In 1975, Hilton International was awarded by Fortune magazine for practicing innovative philosophy in the field of hotel industry, which was closely related to Companys introduction of mini bars. This was the time when the concept of mini-bars in hotel rooms became fully formed.
The article What is a Mini-Bar? , which is available on the web site of Wise Geek, provides us with classical definition of mini bar: A basic mini-bar is stocked with alcoholic drinks, soda, and snack foods. Many companies also offer personal care items such as socks, hairbrushes, and makeup. Alcohol is probably the product for which the mini-bar is most famous, and it typically comes in single serving bottles. The guest opens the mini-bar, takes whatever he or she needs, and the hotel restocks the mini-bar after the client leaves (Wise Geek). Despite skepticism, on the part of many experts, who were suggesting that the idea of mini bars is economically unfeasible, in its essence, the objective reality proved mini bars as being capable of generating considerable income. This can be partially explained by the fact that seventies was the era closely associated with peoples particular willingness to try out new things.
By the year 1980, the majority of large companies in hotel industry, were having their five star rooms equipped with mini-bars. At the beginning, hotels management was relying on customers sense of honesty, while operating mini bars. Basically, every customer who would choose in favor of using mini bars, was expected to fill out a special form, before checking out, in which he or she would have to state the number of items taken out of mini bar, for the purpose of their cost being added to the final bill. However, such method proved to be utterly unreliable, because the adoption of policy of multiculturalism in Western countries in early eighties resulted in triggering the decline of public morals. Therefore, in order to keep mini bars economically feasible, hotels managers needed to design a new system of keeping a track of what was being taken out of mini-bars. In eighties and nineties, it was a common practice in five star hotels to employ a so-called service captains, whose primary duty consisted of restocking the content of mini-bars on daily basis and charging customers for the usage of such bars.
However, with the beginning of twenty-first century, more and more hotels are now resorting to technologically advanced methods of operating mini bars. The article, from which we have already quoted, explains the actual mechanics of how it is being done: Hotels use radio or infrared tagging, which can immediately send a message to the front desk when a product is removed. If it is replaced within a set time period, the charge will disappear from the bill, although a member of the staff will check to see whether or not the product has been tampered with (Wise Geek). (2) Despite the fact, that installment of mini bars in rooms allowed companies in hotel industry to significantly increase the amount of generated income in eighties and nineties, the socio-political realities of a new millennium hampered down the economical effectiveness of idea of mini-bars. Strive towards existential convenience no longer defines customers mode of behavior. Many of them decide to refrain from opening mini bars, because they rightfully consider paying $ 5 for a can of Coke or $ 15 for a bag of cookies as something that does not make much of a sense.
In her article Hotels Empty Minibars to Fill Desire for Fridges, Jayne Clark points out to the fact that mini-bars are continuing to grow less popular among overwhelming majority of customers: The hotel minibar, has long been an object of scorn among value-conscious travelers. In a 2005 hotel guest-satisfaction study, the marketing information firm J. D. Power and Associates found that an in-room refrigerator ranked third among the desired amenities (after free continental breakfast and an in-room coffeemaker (Clark). Apparently, the propaganda of healthy lifestyle has a great effect on many people, which is why more and more citizens are now beginning to pay greater attention to their eating and drinking habits.
The fact that Western societies are becoming increasingly multicultural results in situation when hotels managers are having increasingly hard time, while trying to make room services appealing to wide range people, because representative of every particular ethnicity has its own expectations, in regards to such services. The times when White people had enough money on their hands to receive enjoyment from throwing it out in the air, are now long gone, due to economic recession, associated with devaluation of U. S. Dollar and rising prices for oil.
This has a great negative impact of hotel industry as whole, because in times of economic uncertainty, people are the least likely to spend money on non-essential goods and services. Therefore, mini bars in hotels are now being increasingly associated with nostalgic value, rather then with their practical value. In his article Minibars With Maximum Effect, Terry Ward relates customers appreciation of mini bars to the strive to feel young again, on their part: Imagine bringing a hot date home from a South Beach nightclub and whipping open your little fridge door to reveal the "Get It On Minibar" ($ 70) If you " re looking to recapture your youth (or a taste of it, at least), it's the '"Nostalgia Minibar" to the rescue with retro snacks such as Ritz crackers, Fruit Roll-Ups, cheese in a spray can and candy cigarettes (Ward). Nevertheless, such customers strive often derives out of their psychological inadequateness; therefore, it cannot serve as a foundation, upon which hotels business philosophy is based. It appears that in future, the very essence of mini bars will undergo a drastic transformation.
Apparently, hotel guests have an increasingly hard time associating their understanding of what first class room services stand for with the prospects of being able to munch on the chocolate bar any time they want. Since the gap between poor and rich in Western countries continues to widen, it is very likely that, in near future, hotels clientele in going to consist of those who will look only for the bare minimum, during the course of their stay, and those who will be seeing their stay as such that provides them with chance to experience sensual pleasures. The article English Hotel to Offer Sex Toy Mini-Bar, which can be found on the site of The Minibar Expert. Com, provides us with the glimpse on unconventional concept of mini bar: A new boutique hotel at a seaside resort in north-west England will offer guests a sex toy mini bar when it opens later this year, its owner said. The Vincent Hotel, in Southport near Liverpool, will have "intimate seduction kits" in each of its 60 rooms from May, containing lubricating gel, massage oil, a vibrating ring and two condoms (The Minibar Expert. Com).
It is not a secret that mini bars in European hotels can be referred to as anything, but actual mini bars. Usually, such bars are nothing but small fridges in every individual room, which are being restocked with bottles of spring water, on daily basis, without customers having to pay for it. Such mini bars are usually being found in hotels in East European countries, such as Poland, Ukraine or Czech Republic, as majority of people in these countries do not think of buying groceries around the corner, from the hotel they are staying in, as mission impossible. On the other hand, in European countries where citizens are being affected by spiritual degeneracy the most, such as France or Germany, the notion of mini bars in hotels has transformed its original essence into something unrecognizable. Just as in America, they often serve as some kind of nostalgic retreat, while not being associated by customers with practical value whatsoever, except for the times when they find themselves in immediate need to grease up their rear ends, for the purpose of engaging in unconventional sex.
The article Lifes Little Luxuries, which is available on the web site of Hotel Management Network, confirms the validity of earlier statement: The five-star Q! Hotel in Germany's capital, Berlin also has some mind-boggling offerings in the mini bars in its 72 rooms However, the real fun starts with the 'Kinderschokolade', which has gained a cult following in Germany and 'takes everybody back to their childhood and brings back memories' After satisfying their thirst and hunger, guests can move on to the Kinky Kehmist, an 8 pack for lovers including condoms and lubricants (Hotel Management Network). Thus, we can conclude that the realities of post-modern living result in hotel mini bars attaining a cult status, while being deprived of their practicality. Therefore, it is only the matter of time, before they will cease to remain an essential component of room service in five star Western style hotels.
We can draw analogy between such bars and Concord passenger jets, which were originally meant to serve a very practical purpose of allowing passengers to fly from Europe to America within a matter of 3 hours. However, as objective reality has proven, the prospect of saving a few hours, during the course of flight, was the last on passengers motivation list. The reason they would choose in favor of flying the Concord, was only that they wanted to mimic the lifestyle of movie stars. It only took one crush of Concord, to take the whole jet passenger industry out of the picture and nobody seems to suffer from it a lot. Given the fact that judicial practices in Western countries now often incorporate the notion of existential insanity, as their essential component, we can conclude that mini bars have a potential of being outlawed in politically correct societies.
For example, if some customer sues the hotel because the lubricant, found in rooms mini bar, was not effective enough, which resulted in customer being unable to pull sexy back out of its body, this will create a legal precedent. Thus, we can say that the practice of equipping hotel rooms with mini bars, for the enjoyment of decadent Whites, in time when Western societies loose their integrity from being invaded by hordes of illegal immigrants, indicates the fact that something is rotten in the kingdom of Denmark. Throughout the history, peoples willingness to engage in self-indulgent practices, preceded these peoples countries being sacked by barbarians. Apparently, the average European or American could not care less about anything else, during his stay in hotel, but watching ball game in the middle of night, after having smoked a fat joint and while being surrounded by the piles of bags with potato chips and crackers. Hotels management was able to capitalize on it, however, it is only the matter of very short time, before five stars hotels will loose its clientele altogether, as White race is on the brink of extinction. Bibliography: Clark, J.
Hotels Empty Minibars to Fill Desire for Fridges. 2008. USA Today. Retrieved June 1, 2008 from web English Hotel to Offer Sex Toy Mini-Bar. 2008. The Minibar Expert. Com.
Retrieved June 1, 2008 from web Lifes Little Luxuries. 2006. Hotel Management Network. Retrieved June 1, 2008 from web What is a Mini-Bar? . 2003. Wise Geek.
Com. Retrieved June 1, 2008 from web Ward, T. Minibars With Maximum Effect. 2006. AOL Travel. Retrieved June 1, 2008 from web Abstract: This paper discusses the issue of mini bars in five star Western style hotels. Outline: Part one Part two
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Research essay sample on Mini Bars In Hotels
