It’s not just slot machines that are fleecing people.
A Las Vegas hotel is being lambasted mercilessly online after charging nearly $30 for a bottle of water from room minibars. The apparent H20 highway robberies came to light via photos and a fan submission shared by the travel blog A View From the Wing.
The unidentified guest had reportedly been staying at the Aria Resort & Casino — one of over 30 MGM resorts — where room rates start at $280 per night.
According to the post, an employee had been restocking and cleaning out their room’s minibar, which the visitor noted had “food crammed in the fridge from two guests ago.”
The worker informed the visitor that water costs $26, but only told them after the guest had consumed a full bottle, the poster wrote. That constituted more than 10% of the person’s total bill of $259, according to a screenshot of their invoice.
To make matters worse, the same water reportedly costs just $7.45 at a Starbucks downstairs.
While hotel minibars are known for their extortionate markups, some Aria guests noted that the other items in the fridge were not nearly as steep.
In April, Facebook user Lasvegasbloggerandi, shared a photo of a hotel minibar menu showing a Coca-Cola Deluxe that cost $13.75, nearly half as much as the Fiji Water, which set guests back a whopping $24.75.
“Do you think it’s fair to pay for the convenience, or this is price gouging?” the traveler spluttered in the caption.
Commenters were similarly perplexed over the price tags, with one writing, “Was just there. I was floored.”
“Vegas is dying so they have to charge a buttload to survive,” declared another, referencing declining tourist numbers at the gambling mecca.
“They depend on the drunk visitors that don’t care about their prices at 2 a.m. when they get back to their room,” said a third.
A View From the Wing contributor Gary Leff accused Aria of flouting the “diamonds-water paradox” floated by “The Wealth of Nations” author Adam Smith, who wrote that water is necessary but cheap, while diamonds are useless for survival but expensive due to their scarcity.
“Aria in Las Vegas proves there really was no paradox after all,” Leff quipped. “Water in the desert is crucial to survival and incredibly expensive for guests staying there!”
He declared that Sin City had “clearly given up on any idea of hospitality.”
“I would think, though, that a $36.28 per night resort fee (inclusive of tax) might be high enough to offer a single bottle of water as one of its inclusions. I guess not!” Leff griped.
“This is the perfect example of the kind of out of sample cost that makes people feel cheated on a Las Vegas trip, leaving customers with a bad taste in their mouth. And that is dangerous heading into a Las Vegas downturn.”
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