Woman Claiming Hotel Charges $50 to Put Own Bottle in Fridge Shocks Viewers

A video of a guest claiming that a hotel charges a fee for placing items inside the minibar fridge of her room has gone viral on TikTok.

The clip, posted by @k4r1m444, has received 3.8 million views since it was first shared on January 20.

The footage shows a woman speaking into the camera while sitting next to what appears to be a minibar in a hotel room. A hand is shown touching the door of the minibar fridge. A voice is heard saying "I don't think we can open it," before reading a label on the fridge that says "Altering contents or placing other items inside the minibar will result in a $50 restocking fee."

The woman later asks "what if I want to put my water in the fridge? Why do I pay $50?"

She is later seen speaking to a hotel staff member on the phone about the fee. After the phone call, she says "So, we can't put our water in the fridge or we're gonna be charged $50 because it's strictly a minibar."

The hotel guest's shock at the minibar usage fee in the viral clip is not surprising.

A 2018 survey of 2,000 adults in the United States conducted by Consumer Reports, an independent nonprofit, found that "34 percent of people who have received a hotel bill in the past two years said they encountered a hidden or surprise fee on that bill."

The survey also found that more than half of those surveyed said that those hotel fees "caused them to go over budget."

The viral post comes as the demand for hotels in the U.S. is projected to surpass the levels seen in 2019, according to the 2023 State of the Hotel Industry report by the American Hotel and Lodging Association.

Around 20 percent of Americans were reported to consider room amenities to be among the top three factors that influence their choice to stay in a hotel. However, "price remains the top factor likely to influence a consumer's choice to stay in a hotel," the AHLA report said.

'Crazy' and 'Ridiculous'

The woman in the viral TikTok says, referring to the mini bar: "We can't touch this, this is booby-trapped."

She is later shown talking to a hotel staff member on speakerphone, with the phone receiver placed on a table. The woman tells the staff member "I see on the fridge it says there's an additional $50 for adding items to the fridge."

The staff member says: "If you put any personal items, they're gonna charge you a penalty fee because it's a minibar only."

The woman asks "So, I can't put my water bottles inside the fridge," and the staff member replies "No."

TikTokers could relate to the hotel guest's shock and frustration in the latest viral video.

User @jasontomorrow simply said "crazy" and @ran.iiii.a commented, "Ridiculous."

Commenter @Formula1_Edit wrote: "You pay for the room, like why we gotta pay extra for something in the room."

User @ay.wydhere noted: "Anything to make a lil more money."

Kaleb Obadele said: "I would leave the hotel...."

Newsweek reached out to @k4r1m444 for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.

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