Fee to empty mini bar fridge
 

Did they misunderstand your request?

Some minibars have pressure sensors and charge you when you move things.

I have a 100% success rate getting those charges removed.

Since there is both a labor and an accounting cost, some fee is reasonable.

When a business charges a fee to do something out-of-the-ordinary, they have three basic options.

1. Charge a fee that just covers the cost of performing the task.
2. Charge a fee that produces a profit.
3. Charge an outrageous fee to discourage the customer from following through on the request.

Sounds as if this hotel is doing the second or third of the above options.

Ask for a bucket of ice to be brought up every few hours to keep your bottles cold, and I'll bet they will relent on the $50.00 charge.

I've had similar issues in Amsterdam, where they refuse to clear out the fridge and the pressure sensors go off with the slightest movement. I filled the recycling bin in the room with ice and it was better that way.

just carry or wheel the mini bar down to the front desk and tell them you don't need it emptied-you just do not want it in your room because you are a recovering alcoholic, on a diet, with an eating disorder.

//reminds me of when I was a little unhappy with a hotel in room safe. It was not anchored to the wall or furniture at all. The look on guests faces when I carried it in the elevator (locked) under my arm, and set it on the front desk asking if it was secure was priceless.

Of course in this context - because hotels are, theoretically at least, purveyors of hospitality - they could simply accommodate a guest's needs without any additional charge whatsoever and chalk it up to goodwill.

Does their website list a .'mini refrigerator' as a room feature? Uness they dsclosed the fee in advance, or at check in, Id refuse to pay it. Tell them to either bring up a fridge for your use as promised or waive the fee. (A mini-refrigerator is listed as an 'amenity'... they ADDITIONALLY list a mini bar "for a fee". You want the free fridge....)

They decline, empty it and contest the charge.

I wont let crap like this ruin my stay- allow them to decline the accommodation, then take action to correct their error. Deal with the $$ later.

I believe the St. Regis in DC also charges about $50 US to do this.

Within a few minutes of entering a hotel in Dubai, I remember saying to my wife not to touch the bottles in the Minibar as they would be automatically charged as soon as they were moved.....only to find her going through them as I turned around....

Likewise.

This probably indicates a broader nickel and diming approach to guests - i d stay away from such hotel.
Can you name the property?

Many hotels list 'air conditioning' as a feature in the room.

How many people would be OK if the hotel said "Yes, the room HAS air conditioning- but there is a fee of $50 to actually USE it"

IMO if a hotel lists a fridge as a feature there cannot be an additional fee to use it. (Note listing a 'mini bar- fee applies' is a different story.)

Finally, I have stayed at a few hotels that will bring a second fridge to the room, no charge- if you need it. If you want, tell them you have medications that require refrigeration....iver never had to.

It's ridiculous to charge for this. But there's a fairly easy solution, although it will be a bit of a hassle at check out.

Just remove enough items so that your water bottles fit. Set them on a table, desk, wherever. On your last day, replace the items, take a picture of the full fridge and stop by the front desk to dispute the charge. They may go to the room to check, so this is why it could be a little annoying. But I've never encountered a problem having a false charge removed for a minibar if all the items are still accounted for.

No need to take the items to the front desk, ask for another refrigerator, ice buckets, or any of the other complicated solutions. I always find it better to go with the easy answer and not ruin my trip by having to prove my point in some dramatic way.

I am currently staying at the JW on Cannes and was quoted the same fee for clearing the mini bar.

I then asked if I could just keep some items on top of the fridge, they said that was ok. Doesn't make any sense really.

Not sure about France but I have been quoted this type of charge at hotels in the US quite often.

And if you do as suggested above and show up at the front desk with them they will still charge you and probably not be very nice about it (yes an idiot I worked with acted like the poster suggested. The hotel refused to back down on the charge and I can't say I blame them.... there should probably have been an upcharge for the "you were trying to be a smart XXX" act LOL )

LOL. Good one.

Honestly, this is my first JW stay. Actually, this is my first Marriott chain stay. (Been with Starwood for 10 years now). When they said there is a fee to it, I told my wife "it must be a Marriott thing".

I'm actually surprised hotels even offer to clear out a minibar even with a fee - its not a fridge for personal use.

If it's not a fridge for personal use, the hotel should say sorry, that fridge is not for personal use. That's more dignified than saying that fridge could be for personal use upon payment of some nonsense fee.

To futherr clarify...there is only one autograph property is paris...it lists BOTH:

mini-Bar for a fee

AND

mini-refrigerator



So- the hotel posts BOTH as amenities.... importantly, they list the minibar as having a fee, since their posting of an ''amenity' can be construed to be a contract, and they dont want people claiming 'they listed a minimar as an included amenity, so I drank it". By then listing a refrige, without a fee, it is -or should be- a free amenity.

Its that simple, in the case of the Paris location. IMO of course

I have to keep medicine chilled in the room mini bar/fridge and notify the desk at check in NOT to charge me for any items I may have to move for my health issues. That always works for me. Even when it is obvious there are sensors that detect rearranging or removing items.

Fridge use
 

just go to the front desk and tell them you need the fridge for the storage of you life saving medicines - works every time

Yeah, hotels tend not to like that because you can use the same approach to take what you want, then just before you go, replace the items you consumed with identical ones from the local 7-11 at a fraction of the cost.

Or after the second delivery "forget" the order !

Oh, by the way, the St. Regis I spoke of? The booze (except for beer) was not actually in the mini bar. It was in full sized bottles and was sitting on the desk in the room. They charge a fee to remove the booze from the room.

The usd50 or so fee relates to minibar fees , not consumption fees. RESTOCK fees are often a fixed per day fee, often usd15++ at my 5star hotels. REALLY annoying/unfair if just want 1x usd10 cola/perrier etc.
Thus emptying minibar costs hotel + you two restocking fees...just about bearable/ok if on a 5nighter, too much if a 1night stay
Plus most hotels t+c's state only f+b purchased on property can be consumed in property, so will not want to forgo drinks income on your stay.

For better or worse, this is indeed how things work in a lot of hotels in Africa :eek:

You know, the idea of being dinged (hypothetically) for having gone out to McDonalds' and bringing back some McNuggets is absurd to the point of farce.

On the Bonvoy tv loop in Marriott properties, the girl keeps asking for more ice ... I didn't see anything about a charge for it :)

If this from your actual experience? I ask because there are two things wrong with your post:

1. I've never had a problem doing this or having charges wiped from my bill
2. If I were going to go to the 7-11 to buy identical booze for half the price, then why in the world would I go to all the trouble of taking from the minibar and replacing? Because it's easier to go to the 7-11 at the end of my stay rather than at the beginning?

Anyway, whether hotels like it or not, it's a very simple solution that works just fine, and is generally drama-free.