Extra brings traditional minibar alternative to U.S.

Extra, a New York-based emerging startup, is elevating the guest experience at hospitality spaces by attracting travelers with an array of brands that go beyond the traditional "pay as you consume" minibar. 

With an overall goal to shift the guest’s relationship with in-room product offerings, Extra marries product discovery and upscale hospitality through a distribution model that rewards guests for reviewing complimentary amenities and provides useful consumer data at low cost to properties and product makers. 

Launching in the United States, Extra partners with premium hospitality spaces, such as boutique hotels, luxury rental properties, co-living, aparthotels, wellness spaces and short-term vacation-rental properties to place curated selections of amenities in guestrooms. The company’s displays are designed to entice with products that appeal to a generation of travelers hungry for new experiences, such as Dirty Lemon, Ettitude, Vital Proteins, Native and more. 

Built on the growing need for data and a direct relationship with customers, Extra uses welcome cards that encourage guests to contribute product reviews and earn rewards on the Extra platform via smartphone QR scan or SMS messaging. Rewards range from discounts on products to discounts on future stays and experiences. Extra then provides this guest feedback to properties in order to improve future guest stays and help them make smarter purchasing decisions. The more products guests use and the more reviews they provide, the more rewards they receive, and the more data flows to properties and brands to personalize stays and drive operational efficiency.

“Our mission across the board is to help partners, hospitality and brand alike, to provide an elevated experience. That’s why it’s so important to us that we help them to really get to know their audience. Our review and reward platform is the perfect way to do that,” Extra founder/CEO Gen Liston said in a statement. “We’re putting highly desirable, disruptive products right in the hands of consumers, and delivering them in a way that helps hotels elevate their guest experiences and provides valuable feedback to product makers.” 

Extra’s twist on product placement has found broad interest in boutique hotel and short-term rental spheres around the world. Since launching its platform in Liston’s native Australia in 2018, the company has signed tens of thousands of lifestyle properties to feature Extra displays in guestrooms and has distributed more than 1 million products.

“We see a lot of opportunity to grow our partner base and heighten guest experiences across the U.S. by connecting with independent boutique hotels, midsize hotel collections and upscale Airbnb-style rentals to feature the most exciting products for their guests,” said Liston, who notes that each “powered by extra” offering typically features $70 worth of consumer products for guests to sample.