Scamming your hotel: insiders secrets revealed

[docjames]

+1

Nope, never.

 

[Skyring]

nope never had.

the only thing i have ever done once aong time ago was use the mini bar and go and replace the item.

Yeah, and what of the next poor sod who wants a quick nip of whisky and finds it tastes like urine?

Pete, who always carries a gluestick

 

[MSmith]

Nothing is free. Scamming in hotel rooms just puts the price up for everyone else...and it is theft.

 

[Skyring]

Nothing is free. Scamming in hotel rooms just puts the price up for everyone else...and it is theft.

You're talking minibar prices, right?

 

[aliens]

He was being facetious he works in the industry he has heard all those excuses/reasons before. Cant believe he sucked so many people in.

 

[anat0l]

He was being facetious he works in the industry he has heard all those excuses/reasons before. Cant believe he sucked so many people in.

So in other words he was detailing what people try to do to get around these charges and says this is what you should do when in fact you shouldn't do it because the hotel industry knows about it and people will be onto you?

Seems fair, but geez what a wind up to get to that point. Or rather, someone should lynch the article editor (who was too <expletive> gutless to put their name on the online version of the article) who is guilty of one or more of misinterpretation, misquoting or misrepresentation.

That said, I guess it highlights in some ways the lengths that unscrupulous guests will go to in order to knock off a few tenners or so of booze and snacks, and on top of that a flick or cougho or two.

As for the room upgrade requests and all that not-so-jazz, that goes in the same bucket as those stories about how to blag a free class upgrade at the airline check-in desk.

Another thing lost in the golden ages of travel: people actually had a sense of decency and integrity about them.

 

[christopherc]

That's with that kind of customer the hotels need to charge everything high. They know some people will scam the hotel so they include the loss in the prices of cashews or can of Coke.

Poor guy

 

[Hvr]

<snip>

Another thing lost in the golden ages of travel: people actually had a sense of decency and integrity about them.

I disagree, theft, fraud and scamming has been going on forever. We may not have heard as much about it and establishments may have been more tolerant of it but it was going on.

There have always been decent people just as there have always been scammers and fraudsters. Now we hear more about the latter and assume there has been a rise in fraud. I suggest it may be reported more but has always been at a fairly high level to our detriment.

 

[CaptainPesmo]

Its an excerpt from a book, as such its lacking context which could make a lot of difference.

For what it's worth, I've actually read the book. To my mind, a fair summary is that the author advises guests to lie about the minibar and movies because the hotel staff don't care anyway, and gives 101 variations of how handing over a tip/bribe should get you some benefit. Oh and he has a cry about how he was sick of his job. Context doesn't help much.

 

[trippin_the_rift]

Many years ago I decided to suck up the $15 bottle water charge in the mini bar, only to find the seal had been broken...

Honestly these hotel scammers can all go **** off and die.

 

[JohnK]

I thought it was a good article to get an idea of the types of things people do and try and get away with.

I had two stays in the Millennium Hilton New York, checked out on Monday afternoon. They have the sensor fridge and the first time I was there I moved heaps of stuff out so I could use it. The next morning all of my stuff was moved out and a stern letter left next to it telling me that if anything was moved in the fridge or drawer I would be charged for its use.

No offer of a fridge for my own use.

I try to avoid staying in those type of hotels. I need a room with a fridge so I can put some of my things inside. I refuse to pay 200 baht for a beer when I can purchase 8 beers for 212 baht.

And I refuse to pay for someone else's minibar consumption. It is not my responsibility to check the minibar when I enter the room but the hotel to make sure they charge the right person and not scam me.

For a start do people often realise at 10Pm that they wont be staying the night when in fact they have a 4PM cut off time?

If I am not due to arrive at hotel until 10:00pm or midnight then most times I won't know at 4:00pm if I will be late or not or not arriving at all.

 

[Skyring]

I disagree, theft, fraud and scamming has been going on forever. We may not have heard as much about it and establishments may have been more tolerant of it but it was going on.

There have always been decent people just as there have always been scammers and fraudsters. Now we hear more about the latter and assume there has been a rise in fraud. I suggest it may be reported more but has always been at a fairly high level to our detriment.

Hotels have been scamming travellers for ever.

Remember Jesus?

He said, "I was a stranger and you took me in."

 

[Rebekkap]

I can't believe people think it's ok to eat something from the minibar then deny it - do you also steal chocolate bars at 7-11?

Best hotel with free mini bar I've stayed in was the W in New Orleans - but I just had a look at the website and seems they don't do it any more (beautiful hotel though - amazing beds, great service and the swimming pool was really warm, which I love)

 

[get me outta here]

Marriott used (maybe still do), to offer to clean out the mini bar before I arrived. It's very useful for those who want to put in their own stuff, but particularity so for alcoholics.

 

[beardoc]

Personally I would like an option to be able to say "I would like a mini-bar free room". I never take anything from it, and I don't like things where friends (or partners) start rifling through mini-bar stuff, incurring charges and then me having to call the front desk to explain what they were doing and having the charges reversed. I've never once used anything from a mini-bar ever, and don't like them being there.

 

[shellthom]

anyone mention booking a hotel room with points then showing up at 7am and taking the 2 x double bed room instead of a king room because that is available and accepting the 2pm late check out... 31 hours in a hotel room on 1 nights worth of points... and a balcony and free in room wifi. Thats the best scam I've pulled. Although being in the room right now might make me biased.

 

[jastel]

I hate those computerised fridges to. Let me put what I want in there. I like vending machines in hotels as well, then I can get what I like.