From rustic inns to modern motels, under bench refrigerators rest in silent repose, waiting for tired travelers. We’ve come to the point where a room no longer feels complete without one of these compact guest amenities. Think of it, the perfectly recreated living space, plus an equally accommodating beverage or food cooling service. How convenient, how near at hand, and how lodging-friendly can you get?

A Modern Lodging Amenity

This is a niche sector of the compact cooling market that’s receiving more and more attention. For business lodgings, places that host busy executive types, these under bench refrigerators are more than convenient, they’re an absolute necessity. Stocked full of energy-boosting snacks and foods, the service stops a tired businessperson from experiencing a not-so-welcome sugar crash. Leftover business meals, energy drinks, and midday power refuelers are the essence of life, especially for those on-the-go types who don’t have time to for weekly supermarket trips. Now, having outlined the service-essential nature of this niche business sector, let’s take this notion beyond executive travel.

Hospitality Businesses Put Time on Hold

Everyone’s seen one of these appliances in a bar. They’re glass-faced and full of cool alcohol beverages. In a trendy city cafe or coffee shop, taller models store fresh artisan-made sandwiches and chilled bottles of wine. This is good living done right, so expect a similar under bench appliance to await that sandwich when the coffee shop guest arrives back at his hotel room. By necessity, these units stop time. They allow on-the-go executives to put life on hold, just for a few minutes, while they answer an important email or take a conference call that simply cannot wait.

Installing Under Bench Refrigeration Units

Framed inside a stainless steel housing, the easy-to-clean appliance slots between two items of furniture in that hotel room we visited at the start of this article. The room contains every conceivable service, including high-speed internet and a state-of-the-art coffee maker. Completing the long list of amenities, a digital temperature display softly illuminates one corner of the room. The refrigerator is part of a wet-bar, so it’s tightly packed below the bar area. Not to worry, top-mounted aeration grills and a vertically oriented venting system counter the lack of space.

What was once a niche cooling sector is blowing up. Under bench refrigeration units are being fitted in hospitality suites, studio green rooms, hotel suites, cafes and restaurants, and countless other business-friendly places. Talking of niches, under bench coolers are built to slot into tiny areas, but that tiny amount of space can cause problems. That’s why this appliance type is specially designed. They use uniquely specced ventilation systems and aeration aids to take advantage of the limited space.