Yes, You ARE Getting Ripped Off at the Mini-Bar, Report Finds

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Indulge at the mini-bar and it might cost more than your room. (Photo: Thinkstock)

Could that $10 mini-bar bag of M&Ms soon be a relic?

Amid shrinking travel expense accounts and the availability of snacks elsewhere, the mini-bar is quickly becoming an outdated amenity.

But hotels are still charging an arm and a leg for their mini-bar goodies.

According to a report from Priceonomics, the markup can be as high as 300 percent for simple snacks like potato chips or pretzels.

As if a $4 Coke wasn’t pricey enough. Check out the average markup on some of the most popular mini-bar snacks and drinks.

A 2012 survey conducted by lastminute.com – the online travel booking site – concluded that among the 500 hoteliers they polled, 84 percent said that guests attempted to cover up items they stole out of the mini-bar – with the majority of business owners saying that restocking the snacks were a “nightmare.“

Today, about 85 percent of hotel mini-bars have some type of electronic scale or sensor to detect when an item has been tampered with, reports Priceonomics.

Related: Hotels Get Hidden Fee Happy: Formerly Free Perks Now Cost Big $$$

But other chains, such as Hyatt and Hilton hotels, have already done away with their mini-bars all together, citing low profits and changing consumer preference. So, you better remember to buy that bottle of water before check in – or you can wind up high and dry.

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