The Curious Case of the Empty Minibar

By Tanveer Kwatra

Hotels proudly advertise a minibar across every booking platform.

Then you walk into the room, open it.. and it’s an empty fridge.

My first question is always:

What exactly is an empty fridge doing in my room?

If it’s no longer a minibar, stop marketing it as one.

The irony? Guests are still expected to leave a deposit for incidentals, yet there’s nothing to purchase from the minibar.

What’s even more surprising is that this has now become common in resorts—places where guests pay a premium to indulge, not to find an empty refrigerator.

I won’t name the brands where I’ve experienced this.

But I will name one that consistently gets it right: ITC Hotels. Their minibars remain stocked because they understand that luxury is built on the little things.

Unfortunately, many American hotel brands operating in India have made the empty minibar the norm across multiple segments. Somewhere along the way, cost-saving overtook guest experience.

The solution is simple.

If you’re worried about losses, lock the minibar. Charge for access. Monitor consumption.

But don’t eliminate the experience altogether.

The interesting part?

CEOs, COOs, regional leaders, and corporate executives will rarely experience an empty minibar. Until I was the General Manager of W Goa, I never did either. Even a Fairfield had a fully stocked minibar.

Why?

Because I had a title.

Today, I spend far more of my own money staying with these brands than I ever did as an employee—and I’m welcomed by… an empty fridge.

Luxury isn’t just about grand lobbies or expensive bathrooms.

Sometimes it’s about opening a minibar and feeling like you’re staying in a hotel that still remembers what hospitality looks like.

Tanveer Kwatra is an Indian hotelier, restaurateur, and hospitality entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience creating, transforming, and operating world-class hospitality businesses.