Honesty pays for hotel bar

Friday 12 December 2014

Jersey’s first hotel honesty bar has proved a big hit with trustworthy Island guests.

When The Club Hotel and Spa opened an honesty bar for hotel residents in 2005 many wondered how much money it would lose.

But nearly ten years on, the hotel has proved critics wrong, and that guests can be trusted to pour their own drinks ... and to pay for them afterwards.

The bar, which is in the upstairs library at The Club Hotel and Spa, is set up with a selection of wines and spirits. Guests simply help themselves and then take a note of what they have consumed.

Tim Phillips, General Manager, said: “The bar is very popular with hotel guests. The library is a very relaxed area where guests can enjoy a quiet drink, and being able to help yourself to a drink there just adds to the relaxed nature of this area.

“The concept is really an extension of the mini-bar, where guests are used to noting what they consume. It requires a certain level of trust, but most of our guests are very trustworthy. We make a note of stock consumed at the end of every month and it always comes out okay.”

While the main bar in Bohemia displays rows of unusual spirits and many premium brands, the honesty bar is designed to keep things simple. Guests have a choice of house wines, or house pour spirits. The most popular drink? An honest Gin and Tonic.

Tim said: “You don’t have the same range of choice as in the main bar, but if the main bar is too busy the upstairs area is a popular option.”