Okay, so I know the theory behind hotel room mini-bars – correct me if I’m wrong, but they’re little refrigerators full of edible/drinkable things, and a hotel staff member periodically checks to see if you’ve taken anything out so they can charge you – but I’m not quite sure I understand how they’re operable in practice.
I can understand how, if you started eating things out of it on the first day of a weeklong stay, whoever is assigned to check these things will realize that and charge your bill acordingly. But let’s say it’s five minutes before checkout time and you haven’t taken anything out if it your entire stay. It would be possible to dump the entire contents of the mini-bar into your bag, check out, quickly pay the room bill (sans mini-bar charges) and escape with the snacks before the staff realizes they’re gone, would it not?
Ever wonder why hotels make you pay with a credit card, or at least give them an imprint of one when you check in? You might also read the fine print on the sign-in form.
Being as nearly all hotels and motels require guests to present a valid ID and sometimes a credit card when checking in, I’d lay good odds on getting a bill for the goods at some point. If ignored, the hotel might very well have this placed on your credit history.
a much better way is to pig out throughout the week, then replace what you ate/drank with goods you purchased at the supermarket an hour before you checked out.
Or you could just avoid the mini bar, and buy your own stuff anyway.
That reminds me of another great idea I had. You could cram it full of cheap, travel-size stuff you got from the grocery store, and the hotel would have to credit you outrageous amounts of money for it!
I’ve seen a few hotels which have photocells underneath each overpriced item in the minibar, linked up to the hotel’s network. Removing (even moving) any item increments your bill instantly.
I’ve had to wait at the front desk during checkout while they sent someone up to verify that the $15 snickers bar was still in there, in untampered, saleable condition.
Ones I’ve been to have normal sized food (chocolate bars, crisps, etc), normal sized beer bottles, and some odd sized wine/spirits bottles. You may have trouble replacing the wine and sprirts.
To the OP. When checking out, reception asks you if you have had anything from the minibar. If you are honest, you say “yes” and pay the bill. If you are dishonest, you say “no”, the hotel discovers the truth later that day, and charge your credit card, or your work if you travelled for business, and you, ultimately, pay the bill.
The other variable is when you check out before reception opens. You leave your room key locked in your room and you expect to have any phone calls or minibar use charged to your credit card. Normally in this case I try not to have any outstanding charges.
Colin, why waste all that time packing that stuff in your suitcase where it might melt and stain your clothes? Do what I always do, take out the old duffle bag and put the frig in.
Man, I’m really gettin’ old.
I stayed at a hotel in Arlington, Texas a couple times in '84-'86 where the stuff was free. It was included in the room charge, at least, which wasn’t high.
Beer, sodas, candy, snacks, fresh sandwiches everyday. And they had the big bars of soap.
I was there on business, so maybe that explains it? And I was there for weeks at a time.
Given the outragious mark-up on the items in that fridge, I never even think about opening it. Just stop at a gas station or 7-11 and buy your junk food at normal prices.
Unfortunately I tend to travel to places at times when nothing (literally) is open. My options are to take my own food with me and hope the hotel has a microwave or something, or raid the minibar.
Recently I stayed at a hotel and ate the breakfast buffet shortly before leaving. I put the bill on my room but when I checked out 30 minutes later the bill hadn’t made it. I signed for the room without ever seeing the charge for breakfast, but when I received my credit card statement the breakfast charge had made it onto my bill.
So no, you probably won’t escape with the minibar unless you paid in cash.
