A car dealer at a Mercedes-Benz convention in Las Vegas learned a hotel lesson the hard way. Don’t touch the minibar unless you want those items charged to your room.
TikTok user Carwerks101 (@carwerks101) posted a video about his Las Vegas experience on Wednesday. The video starts with a clip of the minibar in his room. “No way this just happened,” he says.
The man explains that he noted a sign on the minifridge that reads, “Automated minibar items moved or removed are billed immediately. Please contact front desk if you prefer minibar emptied. (Charge is applicable for this service.)”
“I’m like, OK, that’s cool. For the drinks,” he says. “Right?” But there’s also an organizer on top of the minibar filled with various snacks and convenience items, including a “romance kit” that presumably includes prophylactics.
“Then, I’m like, I’m gonna make a video over here,” the man says. “There’s a Snickers here. I start removing [stuff], start looking at it—”
His good time was cut short when he noticed another sign label attached to the organizer: “Electric sensor. Billed upon removal.”
The man is in disbelief. “I’ve got to call the front desk now.”
The Man Admits His Mistake to the Front Desk
Sometimes there’s only one thing to do when you mess up. And that’s come clean. That’s exactly what the man did. He goes directly down to the front desk and says, “Hi, I accidentally picked up a bunch of things in my room. And I don’t know if they got charged automatically.”
After a moment, the front desk attendant appears to have noted this mix-up on his account. She indicates that he should double-check that he’s not charged for the items when he eventually checks out of the hotel.
He thanks her and walks away looking sheepish. “Yeah, just don’t touch things without an adult present,” he says to the camera.
Viewers React to the Hotel Minibar Mishap
In the comments, many viewers expressed disgust with the concept of a minibar sensor.
“May this kind of hotel never find me,” wrote one person.
“What happened to free drinks and snacks in hotel rooms?” asked a second person.
“When I make a booking for a hotel, I put in the special request section for the minibar fridge to be empty to make room for medication. Unless it’s all-inclusive,” wrote a third person.
Another person observed, “Peak capitalism.”
@carwerks101 Yeah just don’t touch things without an adult present #vegas #mercedes #ndtd
Hotel Minibar Sensor Best Practices
Automated minibars are quickly becoming an industry standard. They use sensors to determine when an item is removed and automatically charge it to the credit card on file. This is a convenient service if you intend to consume the removed item. If you’re messing around like Carwerks101, it’s not so.
According to Herald Net, the overwhelming majority of charges generated by them are in error. And the hotel front desk is generally willing to remove the charges. Less clear is why more hotels don’t make more of an effort to warn guests about the consequences of a simple minibar tour.
BroBible contacted Carwerks101 via TikTok comment and direct message for comment.