Originally Posted by
der_saeufer
The card key itself costs less than 50c even in very small lots. Put a pizza ad on it and the hotel gets the keys for free.
It was mentioned upthread that this hotel uses RFID/smart cards, not mag stripes. The cost per unit on these is
closer to $1 even when bought by the thousands. Most transit agencies in the USA that use smart cards charge a $5 replacement fee for them.