Bars are expensive. And people are broke. So it's no wonder in-room service is on the rise these days, with nearly 77% of travelers taking advantage of in-room selections once during their stay. With that in mind, some forward-thinking hotels in cities around the US have amped up an oft-dismissed amenity to keep their guests from straying and spending shiny nickels elsewhere. To keep you and yours in-situ and in-ebriated, these sharp crash pads are offering beefed-up luxury versions of their mini bar. We'll call it the not-so-mini bar. You'll call it your little in-room drinking buddy. Check out a few examples of the haute mini bar done right.

Cameron Bird, Kellie Sutherland, Gus Franklin, Sam Perry, and Jamie Mildren form the cartoon-pop quintet known as Architecture in Helsinki. The Australian natives are known for cracked-out orchestral jams, often bouncing between an eclectic arsenal of instruments like the glockenspiel and the tuba. Their latest EP is That Beep, a repackaging of their popular single of the same name with an additional three remixes. We spoke to lead singer Cameron Bird about his musical inspirations, losing band members to crocodiles, and his favorite places in New York.

Seattle hipster hotspot the Ace Hotel is ready to take on the boutique hotel game one city at a time; they already have Portland, and now, with openings in Palm Springs and a New York location, are quickly vying for a piece of the hot-crash-spot pie in vacay locs across the country (though: Palm Springs? Really?). Both of the new outposts are going to be offering a special opening rate (New York at $99/night, Palm Springs at $89/night), which -- all things/regular room rates considered -- is an incredible steal, especially since the price of a room at a place like the Ace is going to shoot up by at least 100% a month or two after they're done with any kind of soft opening.