A dinky label suffices as the warning for a $3 charge?

Not in my book.

What if you don't consume the water. What if you just borrow it through your digestive tract, and return it to the container with some extras?

Well, there are two definitions of Complimentary:

1) Given Free as a Courtesy
2) Expressing or Containing a Compliment

Perhaps Best Western was expressing you a Compliment. As in, "this $3 water will look great with your suit."

The very nice display is complimentary, the bottle of water is $3.

I have seen this in better hotels but not a Best Western. This trap is a common warning on Trip Advisor to not touch the bottle of water in the room, it will cost you some insane amount of money.

The last time I saw one of these at a Hyatt the same brand of water in a slightly smaller bottles was around the corner in the vending machine for $1.

I would feel obligated to enlighten the staff as to the definition of "complimentary." Good move on taking them from the house keeping cart BTW.

all you hotel management types and ceos of the various corporations that do this stuff take note:

I travel a LOT.

...and I do NOT patronize hotels anymore that I have experienced this type of slimy hidden charge practice from in the past.

there's about a thousand different options in most areas for places to stay. I'd rather stay at a super 8 that doesn't try to screw me with hidden charges, than give my money to a nicer-end hotel that does this kind of crap to their customers. if I see the "free" bottle of water, or "free" starbucks coffee displayed (along with a note about how it's really $3 underneath the bottle or in micro print somewhere), I always wonder what other kind of charge is going to sneak onto my credit card weeks after I've left. that's not a good feeling to leave your customers. when people are out of town, they're already a bit wary because they're not at home...they rely on their hotel to give them a little bit of that comfort of home. if you're making a customer have to be suspicious about even the place that they're using as a home base when they are out of town, then you are failing. those little "freebies" that aren't really free might seem like a good idea to you and a way to pump up your bottom line, but I guarantee you they are really costing you more in lost business than you think they make you.

I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels like this.

I saw this in a hotel in Finland. There were two bottles of water. Both had the same information on, though one was clearly marked "complimentary" and the other one was not.

Anyway, the poster does not seem to be very clear. Where did it say they had to pay $3? Some hotels do give the first bottle of water for free, as in my experience. I also do not think any reasoning can justify stealing products from the hotel.

@bohemian: I think it's rather pathetic how upscale hotels nickel-and-dime their patrons; you'd think that, with their concern for appearances, that they'd want to avoid the appearance of money-grubbing.

Hey it's not their problem if you can't see the asterisk (next to "complimentary") in .00000000000001 point font size!

Bring your glasses next time!

I travel quite a bit and I don't think I've ever seen this. 'Course I don't stay in many Best Westerns.

I know that most hotels we stay at we always get the water from the front desk. There is really is complementary.

@lihtox: Strangely enough, that seems to be the norm. At nicer hotels like Hyatts and Hiltons, you generally have to pay extra for wireless and parking, where both are usually free at lower-end hotels. I don't get it either.

@dako81: LOL

Buying bottled water is stupid. Just turn on the bathroom sink water and fill up a cup! MMM!

@leprendun: I stayed at a really nice hotel on business a couple of weeks ago (the Hotel Teatro in Denver, since they deserve public acknowledgment), and when I checked in they made a point of telling me that the water in the room was complimentary-- the "no charge" kind of complimentary. It's such an anomaly these days that they bought considerably more in good will with that investment than the water cost them.

@CreativeLinks:

"This $3 water will look great on your hotel bill".

@Corporate-Shill: Most price labels are dinky...

On a cruise we went on recently I was stupid and drank the water in the cabin 2 big bottles of it over a 5 day period. on the 6th day I got a receipt in my cabin for $10.

yup you can't even trust hotels with bottles of water when you're surrounded by water

@bohemian: It's even better when they tell you it will be a $20 fee to have the "complimentary" items removed from your room. Hotel Sax, Chicago, IL.

I think you folks are all missing the point. Here's what I'd have done. The sign says, "A charge will be billed to your room if consumed." I would have just opened the lid and set the lid next to the bottle. It would have forced them to replace it before the next guest arrived and according to their own rules they can't charge you. It hasn't been consumed--just opened.

@AgentTuttle:

Agreed. Taking from the housekeeping restock truly turns the tables on 'the man.'

@GuinevereRucker: buying bottled water when you have a tap right there is kind of dumb. buying it at a restaurant, however, is not. which is sad.

I stayed at a Marriott in Baltimore last weekend and saw the same thing. While I hate to be nickle and dimed, the picture above is misleading as the 3.00 fee was clearly marked on face of the tag. At least it's marked, unlike the minibars that detect when you lift the drink off the platform & charge you based on that.

@bohemian:

part of the reason that nicer hotels probably get away with that kind of stuff is because a lot of their patrons are business travelers whose employers are picking up the bill anyway. If the employer is willing to pay ~$150 a night for a hotel room, they probably won't balk at $15 for wireless or $3 for water.

@floraposte: I got the same at the Ritz in Denver, free water twice a day

I travel quite a bit. I love call the front desk and ask why there is a charge for the "complimentary" items. Most front desk managers get stuck between the common understanding that "complimentary" means "free" and the charge. They almost always say they'll waive charges. I note their name and time of call, and consume away.

I've never seen a charge for consuming these items after using this tactic.

On a side note, the most devious thing I saw was a teddy-bear and blanket on the bed with a big sign that said "Forget a Friend? A Gift of Comfort from Us to Your Child." No cost was plainly displayed, and there was no indication in any of the information booklets. I asked the front desk - sure enough, there was a $150 charge for the bear and blanket.

I found the TINY tag on closer inspection that read, "$150 will be charged to your room if any of the tags are removed from this item."

Most upscale places have these kinds of fees, but are happy to waive them if you ask nicely.

The bottle was free, the water however would cost you.

@dako81: 1) bring your own new caps
2)drink water
3)refill with tap water
4)???
5)save money

@Xerloq:
So if the tags were removed, or the stuff disappeared, the hotel would charge. That makes sense. How would they bill for a kid cuddling up to a teddy bear versus an adult taking the thing and putting it in the corner?

What hotel was this?

@Xerloq: I guess these places don't truly know what a "gift" is: Something given voluntarily without payment. I would hate to be the management's kids at Christmas. "Here ya go Billy! A Tickle Me Elmo doll. That'll be $450."

@lihtox: You're telling me-the last time I was in a Hilton they charged $0.05 per foot of toilet paper.

"I guess I should be thankful, because this misleading behaviour enabled me to pilfer bottles off the housekeeping cart without feeling guilty."

I'm somewhat disappointed at this statement. Surely this is a bad, misleading situation that Best Western has set up, but one grievance does not give us carte blanche to commit our own.

The mislabeling was simply misleading, and since the OP read both labels, he was unharmed. Conversely, theft is directly harmful.

I wonder if the undoubtedly poorly paid staff gets charged for the bottles you take off their carts.

@Corporate-Shill: I made that mistake once when I stumbled into a hotel after a very late check in. It was dark, I saw the water and gulped it down. Upon later inspection, in the light, it was a $5 bottle of water! Fortunately, the brand was common and it was a standard size. I went to a local 7/11 and picked up a new one, popped the little paper collar around it and avoided the charge. Actual cost? .99 plus CRV.

@lihtox: I think it's similar to what airlines are doing now with their fees: aiming for the lowest ticket 'price' to splash across search engine sites. It gets your attention, and if you're not experienced enough, you won't realize that you have to add $$$ in fees, extras, etc to reach the actual cost.

It's also a way for companies to get the less-thrifty people to subsidize the more thrifty people. I started noticing this after reading an article by Richard McKenzie about why inkjet printers are relatively cheap but the ink is so expensive - if you use your printer once a year, it's cheap. If you use it every day, your ink purchases are paying for the less-printing people's printers. I think the same principle applies to ipods & itunes downloads. So the hotel guest who enjoys (or falls for) the convenience of the bottled water, minibar, wifi, etc subsidizes the extra-frugal traveler.

Simple principle, but I never noticed it until it was pointed out - and now I see it everywhere. I couldn't find a link to the article, but it's republished as a chapter in his book Why Popcorn Costs So Much at the Movies (By Richard B. McKenzie) which you can apparently read on Google.

Also - I think a lot of companies (like airlines) are carrying this to the extreme, by applying fees for what used to be extras to what many people see as necessities (water, blankets). And little signs like this in the hotels cross the line into tackiness (IMO).

@pgh9fan1: The hotel would've likely argued that some minute amount had been consumed and billed you anyway.

@CreativeLinks: "You look like the kind of guy who can afford $3 water."

Perhaps what "complimentary" means in most of these cases is that this bottle/teddy bear was complimentary placed in your room. Use of the item, though, requires payment. They are freeing you of the burden of having to go all the way over to a convenience store or vending machine to purchase the same item.

Just like how the television set is complimentary and watching, ahem, the adult films requires payment.

@GuinevereRucker: There are Federal standards for the purity of tap water. There are none for bottled water.

I like a nice glass of tap water over five dollar city water in a bottle.

@Wooglin: I have to agree with that. While I would have pointed out that complimentary and three dollars are indeed different, stealing is stealing, and more than a simple mistake.

I'm fairly sure if you mentioned the three dollars on your bill and then showed them the complimentary tag it would have been taken off your bill. Stealing is simply a crime.

@Xerloq:
There is a charge if you take the bear and blanket. Just like there is if you take a robe or towels.

There is no charge if you use it (or in this case, do not take off the tags).

The bear is for a kid (or whoever) to snuggle because they forgot theirs.

The hard part comes when you have to explain to your kid that the bear has to stay to help other kids and can't come home with you. ;)

@bohemian: As someone already pointed out, 100% of the reason for this is because biz travelers can expense these items, and the hotels will take advantage of that (and why not?).

The Bob family staying at a Holiday Inn can easily take their rental car to the IHOP down the street if the hotel tried charging $12 for scrambled eggs from a cardboard carton. However, when I travel on business, especially when I don't have a rental car, I'm more or less trapped.

For the most part, the mid-up scale hotels are in downtown areas, which is where many biz travelers need to be, so it's not like we can just go to a Hampton Inn (i.e. our favorite hotel chain all around).

That being said, our company policy is to avoid Sheraton at ALL costs - they take the extra fees too far. Many don't even have coffee makers in the rooms anymore - so when I'm forced into one, I just Amazon Prime myself a cheap one for $15 overnight!

@Humbert Humbert: In which case I would politely tell them where they should place said bottle..

@howman: The seal is broken. You'll get charged.

Best Western corporate is NOT going to like this; if it's in the room, it's supposed to be free.

@outsdr: water, I mean.

@CapitolStorm: Consider yourself lucky.

Sometimes, the UPC barcode can be different, even for two identical bottles of the same size products (one bottle offered by the hotel and one bottle sold in retail stores). And of course, I'm sure some hotels will check for the switcharoo.

@silver-bolt:

slap an extra breakaway seal on the bottle. Or place the bottle in a lock box/mini-fridge.

Something extra so I know it ain't free.

@feckingmorons: Agreed.

Boy, it's surprising to see how often bottled water is nothing more than "purified" tap water from another city.

But some areas have better tap water than others, admittedly. I think NYC tap water, which usually comes from the upstate Croton Reservoir and mixed with water from the Catskill Mts., is vastly superior to... say, for example, Las Vegas tap water. And so on.