# $250 hotel incidental charge for "unauthorized" tampering with HVAC controls
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/250-hotel-incidental-charge-for-unauthorized-tampering-with-hvac-controls/1020863
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [July 15, 2025, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/250-hotel-incidental-charge-for-unauthorized-tampering-with-hvac-controls/1020863 "2025-07-15T03:53:03Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2025, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/250-hotel-incidental-charge-for-unauthorized-tampering-with-hvac-controls/1020863/41 "2025-07-15T13:53:00Z")
That’s pretty much my take.
It’s ok to agree or disagree with the policy but if the policy is to be enforced, the repercussions have to be meaningful or else they are just another way to make a few bucks from any guests who can afford it.
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### Author:  [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2025, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/250-hotel-incidental-charge-for-unauthorized-tampering-with-hvac-controls/1020863/42 "2025-07-15T13:59:27Z")
I know it’s more extreme but….
I used to travel to Malaysia for business in the 90s. It’s obviously tropical weather there and unless it’s raining it’s like 90F and 90% humidity. We had actual room keys with a big plastic attachment on them and you needed to insert the plastic into a holder in order for the room’s electricity to work. It was very easy to defeat.
When we came back at the end of the day, the room would be hot and it took maybe ten to fifteen minutes for it to cool down. People would defeat the system and have the air conditioning running for the entire day so that it would be cool when they got home. It was infuriating.
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2025, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/250-hotel-incidental-charge-for-unauthorized-tampering-with-hvac-controls/1020863/43 "2025-07-15T14:00:22Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#):
>
> I presume the invocation of the Lake of Fire had to do with the _outside_ temp, not the indoor room temp.
Right, which is why I included both cases. If it’s, say, 98 outside, and I go in to a room that’s actually at 80, I’m going to view it as a welcome relief. Going straight from 98 to 68, I’d probably be shivering. So if that’s what the OP means, then what he did didn’t even help.
The other thing he might have meant is that the room wasn’t as cool as the setting on the thermostat. But if that’s the case, then he’s just out of luck: The air conditioner is already working as hard as it can, and telling it to work harder won’t accomplish anything.
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### Author:  [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2025, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/250-hotel-incidental-charge-for-unauthorized-tampering-with-hvac-controls/1020863/44 "2025-07-15T14:00:44Z")
My wife and a friend are currently vacationing in an Airbnb. The home’s owner has a locked room where they keep their stuff when the home is rented out. Presumably, it’s the things that are _not_ offered or included in the house’s rental rate.
My wife is a pretty creative, competent, and dexterous sort. Would it be okay for her to pick the lock on that door, retrieve the Gaggenau espresso machine that hypothetically lurks within, use it during her stay, and then put it back, locking the room behind her?
If it wouldn’t be okay, then what would be a reasonable recourse for the homeowner who discovered the perfidy?
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### Author:  [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2025, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/250-hotel-incidental-charge-for-unauthorized-tampering-with-hvac-controls/1020863/45 "2025-07-15T14:07:15Z")
> [@chela](#):
>
> And the OP got busted because he didn’t put the thermostat back the way he found it? Rookie mistake.
That alone merits the $250 “too smart for their own good” (anti-)prize.
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### Author:  [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2025, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/250-hotel-incidental-charge-for-unauthorized-tampering-with-hvac-controls/1020863/46 "2025-07-15T14:09:35Z")
Also (to the OP), is it possible that you’re simply developing a reputation among the hoteliers?
> [@Hey night auditor, I can send as many elevators to the top floor I want!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-night-auditor-i-can-send-as-many-elevators-to-the-top-floor-i-want/1013974):
>
> Not really… I essentially live in hotels, so I know what is normal and what is not. When I first arrived I was told that the set of elevators closest to the front desk were not working, and to use the second set. I was like okay. Next, I go up to my room (from the right elevator) on the top floor to drop off my luggage. Then I hopped into the (left) elevator to access the casino on the third floor. But soon as I hopped in, before I even clicked on the floor 3 button, the elevator went straight …
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### Author:  [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2025, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/250-hotel-incidental-charge-for-unauthorized-tampering-with-hvac-controls/1020863/47 "2025-07-15T14:17:18Z")
Well damn. OP should be banned for life from the properties. He’s a shitty guest and not worth the trouble.
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### Author:  [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2025, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/250-hotel-incidental-charge-for-unauthorized-tampering-with-hvac-controls/1020863/48 "2025-07-15T14:21:56Z")
> [@hajario](#):
>
> We had actual room keys with a big plastic attachment on them and you needed to insert the plastic into a holder in order for the room’s electricity to work. It was very easy to defeat.
What kills me are the hotels that use the key card for the same purpose - and then the front desk clerk asks me if I want an extra key to keep the AC on all day.
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### Author:  [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2025, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/250-hotel-incidental-charge-for-unauthorized-tampering-with-hvac-controls/1020863/49 "2025-07-15T14:35:02Z")
> [@Reply](#):
>
> But argue and argue and argue demand to speak to hotel management, escalating it to the owner or corporate if you have to. Cost them more in labor time than the stupid few dollars you cost them, make it even more expensive with the chargeback, and teach them a lesson.
If I were the owner/corporate, the lesson it would teach me would be to ban that customer for life. They’ll cost you more in hassle than they’ll ever pay you in hotel bills.
– were you staying in a hotel with “paper-thin walls” because it was cheaper than the ones with soundproofing? That’s a “get what you pay for” issue. Bring earmuffs or earplugs or a white noise generator.
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### Author:  [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2025, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/250-hotel-incidental-charge-for-unauthorized-tampering-with-hvac-controls/1020863/50 "2025-07-15T14:45:57Z")
> [@MW\_Degen\_Gamblr](#):
>
> it was hot as hell that day and that 68 degree minimum was not cutting it
@Chronos and others have already commented on this, but how does the outside temperature affect how comfortable 68 degrees feels?
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2025, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/250-hotel-incidental-charge-for-unauthorized-tampering-with-hvac-controls/1020863/51 "2025-07-15T14:50:04Z")
For me, temp is relative. We keep our summer thermostat at 77. When it’s 90 out that’s positively cool to me. I was feeling cold at a friend’s place yesterday and he was at 75. In the fall or winter, these temps would be positively tropical. We keep winter thermostat at 66.
Now, my own experience should run counter to the OP’s point, though, as that much of a temp difference would be extreme and 68 would be more than cold enough. But it shows the subjectiveness of it all.
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### Author:  [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2025, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/250-hotel-incidental-charge-for-unauthorized-tampering-with-hvac-controls/1020863/52 "2025-07-15T14:52:18Z")
If anything, I think it’s the other way around. If it’s 98 outside, I’d definitely be comfortable with 68 or even 70 inside although my preference is closer to 65.
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### Author:  [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2025, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/250-hotel-incidental-charge-for-unauthorized-tampering-with-hvac-controls/1020863/53 "2025-07-15T14:53:24Z")
I’d be freezing at 68 degrees in a hotel room.
As previously mentioned, an inexpensive white noise machine (aided by earplugs if necessary) should drown out most casual noise from adjoining rooms, apart from idiots playing music/TV full blast or screaming kids running up and down the corridors. The latter types of noise won’t be drowned out by constantly running the AC.
On the bright side, $250 is probably less than a typical day’s gambling losses for heavy players at Las Vegas casinos.
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### Author:  [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2025, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/250-hotel-incidental-charge-for-unauthorized-tampering-with-hvac-controls/1020863/54 "2025-07-15T15:00:30Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#):
>
> @Chronos and others have already commented on this, but how does the outside temperature affect how comfortable 68 degrees feels?
If the outside is very hot, the walls will be hotter and will be radiating more heat. Think of heat like the brightness of a lightbulb. When it’s very hot outside, the walls will be “brighter” than if it’s cool outside. The hot walls are adding heat into your body quicker than the 68 degree air can pull it out. Air isn’t really the best heat transfer medium. So to be more comfortable, lowering the air temperature even more can help pull the heat out of you quicker. If the walls are well insulated or not facing the sun, this isn’t as much of a problem. So when checking into a hotel in a hot location, ask for a room on the northern side. It will get less direct sun on the north and will not radiate as much heat into the room itself.
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### Author:  [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2025, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/250-hotel-incidental-charge-for-unauthorized-tampering-with-hvac-controls/1020863/55 "2025-07-15T15:01:20Z")
> [@MW\_Degen\_Gamblr](#):
>
> some snitching ass housekeeper
> [@MW\_Degen\_Gamblr](#):
>
> I’ve caused more lasting damage to hotel commodes than I did to this thing. (I love Indian food).
> [@MW\_Degen\_Gamblr](#):
>
> I wanted to cover up sounds coming from MY room. Butt sounds. I had the pooters. Squeeky ones. Hot ones.
You seem like a really pleasant guest.
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### Author:  [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2025, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/250-hotel-incidental-charge-for-unauthorized-tampering-with-hvac-controls/1020863/56 "2025-07-15T15:18:01Z")
This tangentially reminds me of the many miscreants arrested and fined for charging their mobile phones in train stations:
> **[Rail passenger arrested after charging phone on train](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3159582/Rail-passenger-furious-arrested-stealing-electricity-plug-point-train-charge-phone.html)**
>
> Robin Lee, 45, was handcuffed and frogmarched to a police van for 'abstracting electricity' when he used a plug on board a Hackney Wick to Camden Road service in London.
> **[German student arrested for 'stealing' $0.01 of electricity](https://www.stunning-stuff.com/read-weird-news-stories/143-german-student-arrested-stealing-0-01-electricity)**
>
> A student is facing legal charges for 'stealing electricity' worth less than $0.01 at a train station in Germany.
>
> 23-year-old Jan Michael Ihl plugged his laptop into a socket at...
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### Author:  [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2025, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/250-hotel-incidental-charge-for-unauthorized-tampering-with-hvac-controls/1020863/57 "2025-07-15T15:37:50Z")
It looks like they were both arrested, which is ridiculous, but not charged (heh) with a crime let alone fined.
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### Author:  [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2025, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/250-hotel-incidental-charge-for-unauthorized-tampering-with-hvac-controls/1020863/58 "2025-07-15T15:43:36Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#):
>
> Fines are not to recompense the victim, otherwise there would be no speeding tickets. Fines are in place to penalize breaking the rules.
But hotels have no power to levy fines to penalize people for breaking rules. Only the state has that power.
This is (seemingly) liquidated damages, which _are_ to compensate the victim, so they have to be at least in the ballpark of realistic.
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### Author:  [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2025, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/250-hotel-incidental-charge-for-unauthorized-tampering-with-hvac-controls/1020863/59 "2025-07-15T15:44:08Z")
> [@MW\_Degen\_Gamblr](#):
>
> I wanted my room cooler, it was hot as hell that day and that 68 degree minimum was not cutting it. Also, the walls of that hotel was paper thin. I wanted to drown out the sound from my left neighbor’s all-night puking sessions, and my right neighbor’s grunting (I don’t know if he was attempting to move furniture or had arthritis or what). The room across from me was playing Limp Bizkit at full blast as if it were Spring Break 1999. And I wanted to cover up sounds coming from MY room. Butt sounds. I had the pooters.
This is your fault for staying in such a high class hotel. Next time look for a roadside motel advertising “Color TV!” which has an old crone chain-smoking Dosals and nipping from a 40 of Old English ‘800’ at the desk. You can turn that chained-to-the-radiator window AC as high as it will go without any fees, no ‘snitching ass housekeeper’ to bother you, and I guarantee the ‘brown noise’ that it makes will mask anything short of gunfire in the next room as well as aiding you with your “pooters”.
You’re welcome.
Stranger
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### Author:  [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2025, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/250-hotel-incidental-charge-for-unauthorized-tampering-with-hvac-controls/1020863/60 "2025-07-15T15:48:58Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#):
>
> > [@psychonaut](#):
> >
> > The OP said there were no signs and no terms of service.
>
> It also never said a dog can’t play basketball.
- [Kaffee](https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0000129/): Corporal, would you turn to the page in this book that says where the mess hall is, please?
- [Cpl. Barnes](https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0001864/): Well, Lt. Kaffee, that’s not in the book, sir.
- [Kaffee](https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0000129/): You mean to say in all your time at Gitmo, you’ve never had a meal?
- [Cpl. Barnes](https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0001864/): No, sir. Three squares a day, sir.
- [Kaffee](https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0000129/): I don’t understand. How did you know where the mess hall was if it’s not in this book?
- [Cpl. Barnes](https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0001864/): Well, I guess I just followed the crowd at chow time, sir.
- [Kaffee](https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0000129/): No more questions.
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