Article: Is Your Hotel’s Minibar Trying to Trick You?

[Ash]

Im thinking that there are so many tricks people get up to like consuming contents then refilling with water etc. There are some rather nasty people out there.

Had a young nephew do exactly the same to miniatures I had in my bar at home…either water or cold tea. Didn’t find out for many years later…must admit, it did put a rather large smile on my face…took me back to my youth LOL

 

[dajop]

With some form of pantry/kitchen in reception, or just forcing you to order alongside room service

I don't mind the pantry concept - if prices are kept reasonable. But invariably they offer products at close to minibar prices - but surely must be cheaper to adminster (less labour to restock, less leakage). Especially annoying when your $10 credit for being an elite members buys you the same products you could have purchased at the convenience store across the road for $3.50.

 

[PAZ]

Is Your Hotel’s Minibar Trying to Trick You? is an article written by the AFF editorial team:

Is Your Hotel's Minibar Trying to Trick You?

When staying at hotels, it's often confusing to work out which drinks and snacks are included, and which are chargeable minibar items. I suspect some hotels are deliberately vague in order to trick their guests.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

You can leave a comment or discuss this topic below.

Thankfully few and far between now those dreadful automated mini bars that electronically billed the room if you just moved the item or picked it up to read the label and replaced it. Yes I have been stung as I didn't notice a charge on a very long and itemised bill.

 

[fairhsa]

My policy is touch nothing unless it has been clearly indicated as free. One reason for this is the number of times I have been charged when I touched NOTHING - this way I know that all minibar charges at checkout are wrong!

 

[LoaderTosh]

This is so, so easily fixed with a small addition to trading laws applicable to accommodation vendors.

“Any refreshment drinks or other refreshment consumables placed in a room ‘offered for hire or reward will be deemed to be offered free of any charge unless said refreshment items (and any subsequent replacements) are clearly and individually labelled with a price tag which includes all costs and taxes associated with consumption of the said item. A traditional list of prices applicable to described items will NOT be acceptable as meeting this requirement. In the absence of an individual price label meeting this requirement an item of refreshment will be deemed to be complimentary and may not be charged as additional to the accommodation tariff.

There, all fixed. Easy!

 

[jastel]

Not being Diamond Platinum anything, anywhere I expect to have to pay and so dont touch.
I will use the fridge if I can, to put an extra can of coke or whatever in.
I usually travel by myself so IF I drink booze it will be at the bar.

 

[mbeder]

I grew up in the generation that believed that any purchase from the hotel minibar would bankrupt the family - I realised I had passed this phobia onto my adult kids in a recent trip we took together.

 

[Warks]

Many have simply removed the minibars probably because it isn't worth the hassle of guests arguing about charges not making up for the profit margins. I had a friend who worked in a big hotel chain for a few years. He got switched around from job to job but the job that made him quit was checking the minibar daily. Said it was the most tedious boring job and felt awful invading people's privacy all the time.

I've stayed in a certain hotel in a certain town probably 100 times over a decade or so. They had minibars but removed them during Covid and never replaced them. I don't miss them at all. The funny thing is when I stay at this hotel sometimes I'll have a fruit and chocolate platter awaiting me as a "loyal long term customer" and sometimes it's a couple of Great Northerns. And other times nothing at all. There's always a couple of free waters though.

 

[plspoon]

The hotel we regularly stay at in Singapore no longer has any contents in the mini bar and has water stations on each floor. My only complaint is that the water at their water stations comes out lukewarm but they have a container in the room you can fill up and put in the fridge. Then top up your water bottle from that container. This works much better for us. We buy stuff at the local Fair Price and put it in the little fridge.