Postal

After two stays at two different Marriotts in the past week in Florida, I'm afraid to pick up and use almost anything in the room! Of course there were the two bottles of Fiji water for $7 each, but there were also six varieties of suntan lotion going for $12 to $18, and the biggest surprise - the filter packs of coffee for the in-room coffeemaker were $2.25 (Starbuck's). When I went out into the hall to ask the housekeeper for some complimentary coffee, all she had was decaf and suggested I call Housekeeping as they weren't allowed to supply "real coffee." This Marriott also has a Starbuck's Coffee in the lobby, of course. I finally DID get the complimentary "real" coffee.

jor

You thought all that stuff was free? You should have asked if it was free before you used it.

PaulRabe

"What's next" is obvious. You bring your own sun screen, drink tap water, and get your coffee somewhere else. And if you decide that the Marriott charges too much for extras, then you simply stay at a different place.

pilgrim

The suntan lotion I understand, but I've never been charged for coffee in the room I brew myself. Wow!

tracys2cents

I guess we should all thank Starbucks for tripling the price of coffee over the last few years. Or has it quadrupled?

hsv

From a European experience what's next might be that you get introduced to a common currency (possibly the Euro) and thus will be blessed with being able to compare the price of milk in every country. You will then be able to purchase your milk 1100 miles from home because it is cheaper (unless you find out that sales taxes in that place are much higher and the price you looked at wasn't nearly as transparent as you thought).

The downside is that in your home country everything doubles in price once again, but that's such a small price to pay, isn't it?

fdecarlo

Postal: Bean counters have gotten the best of American hotel chains, as well as most other American businesses. It's all about maximizing profits now, and nothing else. If something, anything, even a bottle of water isn't a profit center then it's either converted into a profit center or discarded altogether.

In my opinion it's yet another nail in the coffin of 21st century-style capitalism. We're literally greeding ourselves into extinction.

mikemo

fdecarlo,
I like your last sentence. May I use that?
M

Cassandra

If you're truly worried about "greeding ourselves into extinction" (which I don't disagree with), there are exponentially worse examples than the cost of suntan lotion at a Florida resort.

Dick

At least all of the charges were listed in advance so that you knew what the price would be.

Hotel chains, like Marriott, run focus groups and test rooms ..to see what they can eliminate/change in rooms that will save them money.

og719

You mean hotels are in business to make a profit???? Holy Cow! I thought they were there to cater to my every selfish whim.

Guess I'll have to actually pick a hotel based on its service/price ratio instead of letting Travelocity or some TA do it for me. I'm so bummed!

Craig

Now that the economy is improving, occupancy rates are higher. Hotels can "get away" with having less freebies and charging for things that previously were considered entitlements. It's all about supply and demand - economics 101.

joesorce

Making a profit is one thing, gauging is another. Those $6.95 bottles of water are obviously priced to gauge people who open them without reading the fine print. They are the cause of many a headache for front desk personnel who have to deal with irate customers, while the bean counters pat themselves on the back upstairs.
Car rentals? They offer great rates, then add 40% "surcharges" including "ten percent for helping us pay the rent we pay for our counter space at the airport". It's pure deception and they were finally forced by the govt to announce all fees up front.

Checked into a hotel recently and was hit with a "$5.50 per day facility charge". "This is the charge for energy usage, pool service and other amenities that we are pleased to offer our guests, but must recoup our costs". Yeah, they have a right to make a profit, but this is a practice meant to deceive. Just be honest and include it in the quoted room rate.

Please! An extra fee for using "energy" while you're staying in a hotel room?????

joesorce

And Economics 101 does NOT tell us that the economy is improving! Half the country is living in a house that they can't afford, has no pension or savings, and has credit card debt up the ying-yang. Meanwhile we drive around in gas-guzzlers and stay at fancy hotels.

puddy

You can always decline the mini bar key and ask to have all items for sale out in the open removed from the room..

jor

How about some of these taxes and surcharges.....

Financing the new local stadium
Financing a convention center
Local development projects
Airport redevelopment
Tourism advertising budget
Insentives to attract new businesses

My parents drew the line and moved on when they stopped at a hotel somewhere in Nebraska where the hotel whated an extra $10 for a surcharge to build a stadium.

clarkgriswold

They tried to do that here in California with electricity, and are going to end up in jail for it.

OO

jor, if it's any consolation, every one of the items you mentioned falls under the bed tax umbrella, a tax which a city and/or county imposes on the industry within their jurisdiction. Their rational is that these items draw tourists into the town so the tourism industry should help finance them. There is no choice in the matter however, the hotel must give the city that money on every room they sell!

I don't know about that coffee though! My husband has an urn in his lobby..come one, come all, and packets in the rooms--never enough of them though to my thinking. I'll have to check on the water charge, but last I knew it was something like $2-3, not 7!! Maybe Postal you should change chains. JUST kidding, guys, just kidding!

Flyboy

Sometimes, some of these charges can be eliminated if you are a member of the hotel chain's frequent guest program. For examply, I typically get a bottle of water or two and local phone calls at no charge. Health club and business center access, along with a daily newspaper and a breakfast coupon are thrown in at other places. But room taxes are inescapable. I've seen them add up to 14.5% and probably higher. (If you're in politics, you know how much more attractive it can be to tax people who won't be voting in the next election.)

FainaAgain

You forgot to mention telephone charges and computer connection charges. Oh, well, maybe it's not Marriott, for me it was Hilton, but what's the difference...

And the next will be elevators' usage charge!