The hotel minibar is the lonely business traveller’s friend, home of the £7 mouth full of gin and the £2.50 chocolate bar. But for how much longer?

Some hotel chains are giving up the in-room minibar and soon, some say, this once ubiquitous little fridge of booze will be extinct.

The Germans invented the minibar in the 1950s, and it made its first hotel room debut either at the Madison in Washington, D.C., in the ‘60s or the Hong Kong Hilton in the ‘70s – minibar history is surprisingly murky.

However a recent Tripadvisor survey found that only 21% of participants said they cared if there was a minibar in the room.

Marriott is phasing out the minibar. Hilton and Hyatt are doing something similar. Some hotels are upgrading the minibar’s contents – the Four Seasons in Los Angeles upgraded its minibar to include 100% organic gummy bears made with real fruit juice. Other hotels are leaving an empty fridge in the room so guests can stock it themselves or are just adding vending machines in the hallway.