How hotels decide what's in your room's minibar

By That's PRD, June 1, 2015

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How do hotels choose the products they stock in their rooms? It’s an interesting question, particularly if you spend time on the road, hopping from city to city, room to room.

On the lower-end of the hotel quality spectrum you expect to find cheap shampoo and a mediocre minibar (if there’s a minibar at all). In contrast, the products you find in high-end hotels are vastly different, with premium beers and liquors, expensive bottled water brands and top-notch shampoos and soaps.

The obvious reason for this variation in quality is cost. If you’re paying RMB200 for a room you are likely to end up with cheap bottled water (or possibly no bottled water at all), compared to paying RMB800 per night and finding a premium bottled water brand, like FIJI Water.

Within every hotel price range there is a multitude of decisions that go into what products they stock. According to Chloe Guo, the MarCom Director at the Hilton Guangzhou Tianhe, a big part of product selection is brand reputation.

“We’ve been selling FIJI Water in our Pick-up station since the hotel began operations three years ago,” said Guo. “It’s a popular drink for overseas guests”

When pressed why the Hilton Guangzhou Tianhe stocks FIJI Water she replied, “The elegant look and reputation of FIJI Water.”

Hygiene is also a major concern as any product being imported and sold in China needs appropriate certificates proving it is safe for consumption, according to Cherry Huang, a Four Seasons Hotel public relations representative.

“We choose [products] based on cost and quality, but we need a certificate verifying it’s hygienic,” said Huang.

Provided a product can meet these standards, it is a candidate to be stocked and sold at the world’s biggest and best hotel chains.

FIJI Water is natural mineral water from the islands of Fiji. Recognized for its soft, smooth taste, FIJI Water is served by top chefs and the finest restaurants, and is one of the world’s leading premium bottled waters.

A product of one of the last virgin ecosystems on the planet, FIJI Water is bottled into iconic square bottles at the source from a vast underground chamber. Through a sealed delivery system free of human contact, 
FIJI Water is truly untouched,
 until you unscrew the cap.

 

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