Whenever I go on out-of-town trips, I try not to use anything from the mini bar (unless it's complimentary) in hotel rooms because everything costs ten times more than its regular price. If I ever take anything at all, I make sure to replace it right away by buying from the nearby stores.On a recent trip to Hong Kong with my father, I found out one day that he opened a bottle of Evian water. Evian being the expensive water from the French Alps that it already is, was of course more exorbitantly priced in the hotel. So I took it upon myself to brave the rains that day to search for a one-liter Evian water to replace the one consumed.
It turned out that all the stores nearby sold only smaller or bigger bottles. No one-liters. So I had to walk 500 meters more to get to the next nearest supermarket to find it. Fortunately, I did!
I got back to our room, quickly transferred the hotel's price tag on the new bottle's neck and was pleased with myself.
My father then made a sudden comment on the irony of how we're willing to spend on overpriced clothing and overpriced meals, yet refused to pay for an overpriced bottled water. Same difference, he said. And I just had to agree.
On the day that we left, while reviewing our bill in the airport, I was to find out in the manner of one who's just been duped, that all of the 65HKD cost of that water was still charged to us! Why? I don't know. The housekeeping staff probably found out that the water cap had already been twisted open even if I'd made sure it was, or at least appeared, tightly sealed, and that the bottle was refilled to its original amount of fullness. Or maybe she tasted it. Or kept a record of the product's serial number. I really had no idea.
I didn't know whether to laugh or feel sorry for my wasted efforts. I just had visions of the housekeeping lady drowning herself smugly in that bottled water I paid for, laughing at yet another scrimpy hotel guest who ended up paying more than she had to for not knowing better.
By the way, EVIAN spelled backwards is NAIVE.
Go figure.
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4 comments:
galing naman ng hotel na yn napansin pa rin nila.
sorry hahahaa shoj, but I really have a good laugh here.=) an overpriced experience from an overpriced bottle of water.
They should have rewarded the housekeeping staff. Well, a charge to experience..
haha! most hotels here have sensors that automatically update the system if you take out one of the goodies =p maybe it's the same for HK hotels no?
Oh, that's something I don't know. This is the first time I failed you know so maybe it's really the sensor that did me in, hehe
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