Published: 26 June 2017
Q: I have just taken over a boutique hotel and bar which has a small number of guest rooms. I am in the process of refurbishing the hotel and as part of that I am looking to install mini-bars in the guest rooms. I was wondering if you could clarify the licensing implications as to this? I know that the premises currently has a premises licence.
A: In short, there would be licensing implications if you were looking to install mini-bars that were not previously in the guest rooms.
This is because the sale of alcohol is deemed to have taken place where the alcohol is specifically selected (in this case at the mini-bar) and therefore you will need to ensure that the guest rooms are licensed for the sale of alcohol, that is, shown as licensed on the plans attached to your premises licence. If they are not already licensed you will need to submit a variation application to the Licensing Authority to include these rooms.
Check the licence to ensure that there is permission for the sale of alcohol to residents 24 hours a day (a fair share of hotel premises licences have these permissions on the licence) so that the mini-bars in the rooms can be used at any time.
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