Lower Mini Bar Prices!?!
 

Is this a trend at other Hilton properties?

At the Palm Springs Hilton there was a sign on the breakfront touting "new lower mini bar prices".

Most snacks were $1.50, sodas $1.50, most liquor was $3.95, and the large bottle of Evian water was $3.50.

I think these prices are very fair, especially considering the "convenience" of having them cold, and in the room. Little things like this (fair pricing) makes me feel better about the place I am staying.

Anyone else notice lower prices at other properties? Is this a trend?

I can tell you this DEFINITELY wasn't the case in Prague. I forget the details, but I think the sodas ran something like $3-$4, and the same for snacks. And this was in Prague, where you could buy the same stuff for 25-50 cents at the supermarket. Talk about your markup!!!

Of course, this doesn't compare to the prices at the Marriott I stayed at in Warsaw (which was a 5-star, instead of a 4-star, place). They had this small bottle of wine out on the table, like it was a welcome present. Nope. If you opened it, there went $85. The drinks and snacks were super high priced for a relatively cheap city, though I don't remember the specifics. The thing I do remember was the in-room movies. My god! They didn't list prices anywhere, not on the TV stand advertisement, not in the hotel directory. I called up, and found out the charge was over $19 per movie!!!

The cheapest minibar I found was in the Hotel Danube in Bratislava, Slovakia. I think drinks and snacks ended up costing about 50 cents to $1.00. Now, this was still marked up some, since things are real cheap in Bratislava, but it was reasonable. I even ordered dinner there through room service -- pasta entree, bread, soft drink, and a slice of cake, with delivery charge, ended up being about $4.50USD.