This week, I’ve been in Palm Springs for FinCon 2026. Although I’ve found the value in staying at the host hotel near the convention itself, with an American Express hotel credit to burn, I decided to go a different way and stay at the Kimpton Rowan instead (which was a good 15-minute walk from the event). With this property being part of the Amex Hotel Collection, I received a $100 property credit. And while most of the options I had for this credit were familiar, there was one that caught my attention.
Not only could my dining credit be applied to on-property restaurant purchases or room service, but according to the welcome letter, it could even be used for purchases from the minibar! Despite staying at several Fine Hotels & Resorts and Hotel Collection properties now, I can say I’ve never seen this as an option before. But why would I be excited about such a feature when minibars famously have some of the highest markups you’ll ever encounter?
Well, there are a few reasons why I’d argue this is actually a cool perk. For one, it makes it easy to claim all of my credit, as I can just grab something on my way out if I have some to spare. Secondly, as with most hotel credits of this nature, the credit cannot be applied to gratuity or fees. So, rather than buying something at a restaurant that I don’t need and then paying 20% or more of the cost in the tip, I can get stuff I don’t need from the minibar, sans gratuity.
So what did I get with my minibar freedom? Well, one night, I treated myself to a Coke to accompany my cheeseburger leftovers. Then, on the way out, I nabbed some sea salt chocolate chip cookies for the road. Yes, the Haribo gummy bears were staring at me during my entire stay, but I figure I can get those anywhere.
By the way, I also want to shout out the Rowan for something else regarding their minibar. When I arrived, they made a point of telling me that the minibar did not have any sensors and invited me to add my own items to the fridge if I wanted. This policy is in stark contrast to many Las Vegas properties that will charge you almost immediately after lifting an item! Kudos to Kimpton for this guest-friendly approach.
Between my ability to apply credit to minibar items and use said minibar as a fridge, I was indeed able to save money during my stay. So while I definitely wouldn’t recommend taking items from these amenities under normal circumstances, it was nice to splurge without much consequence on this stay. Will more hotels expand their credits to be used in this manner? I doubt it — but I’ll be keeping an eye out for sure.
P.S.: I’ll have a full review of the Kimpton Rowan in a future Travel Tuesday installment.