On another Marriott thread, FTer Spuddbrother wisely noted the sky high mini-bar rates at Marriott SIN. And I agreed with s/he that location being one of the highest I've seen so far at many Marriott stays, almost all overseas.

Which brings me to the point of this thread. Why, of why, do hotels price stuff in the mini-bar so fantastically out of reach in the first place? I mean while in MUC recently, a can of pop was something like 7 or 8 EUR! And especially at locations like the Marriott SIN where lots of shops within a half block and way cheaper for pop, snacks, etc why not keep prices closer to street level? I know myself, if that pop in MUC was, say, 3EUR and I would have to walk a ways to find one for 1.50EUR, I might just splurge more often. But not at the outrageous prices. I always mention the inflated rates as a major downer when filling out the customer comment cards, but nothing ever changes.

Can anyone enlighten me as to why the prices are so sky high. Does Marriott actually make money on the things?