Minibar sales are driven by guest’s impulses especially with comfort food and name brand recognition.
Everyone always asks me “What are the top selling snacks out of the minibar?” says Walt Strasser, Executive Vice President at Minibar Systems, the Rockville, MD based global minibar supply company. “We are unique in that we track all product sales through our systems so we can monitor trends to better assist our client hotels with menu engineering and planning,” says Strasser.
The graphic above shows guest’s desires when in the privacy of their hotel rooms. Unlike traditional stores or boutiques, the minibar sales are driven by guest’s impulses especially with comfort food and name brand recognition. The minibar is not the vehicle to “test” exotic foods that are not easily recognizable. Guests want what they like and what they know, as validated by the top ten selling items. “Name brand product such as M&M’s and Snickers outsell expensive gourmet chocolate by a ratio of 10:1 on average,” says Strasser. Hotels are always amazed to find out that 30% of guests always use the minibar, despite not asking for them on surveys or guest comment cards. “It’s very much out of sight, out of mind when it comes to minibars,” says Strasser, “they don’t ask for it, yet 30% of guests can’t resist the temptation of those beautiful snack boxes staring at them while they’re watching television.”
Minibar’s SmartSnax product incorporates all of the elements to push guest impulse buttons: nice packaging, beautiful photography, smart portion size and excellent variety. Given the new push for hotels installing minibars and embracing the Outsource option, the Top 10 snacks that guests love may grow exponentially in the coming years. Stay tuned!
See us at HITEC in Toronto in booth # 135 June 27-29.
