Summary

The article suggests a cost-saving hotel hack: guests should utilize the hotel gym's water cooler to avoid overpriced bottled water, given the prevalence of resort fees that do not cover this basic necessity.

Abstract

The article "This Unexpected Hotel Hack Will Save You Loads of Cash" discusses the frustration of travelers with resort fees that cover amenities often not fully utilized, including overpriced bottled water. It recommends a practical solution: guests should take advantage of the water cooler in the hotel gym, an amenity typically included in the resort fee, to save money on hydration. The author points out that only a small percentage of guests use the hotel gym, making it an underutilized resource for free quality water. The article also touches on the varying quality of tap water in different cities, suggesting caution when using room tap water or ice machines. As hotel prices continue to rise, the author emphasizes the importance of finding ways to save, such as using the gym's water supply and even collecting mini-shampoos and conditioners.

Opinions

Resort fees are seen as a budgetary burden for travelers, covering amenities that are often not used.
The author expresses that paying for bottled water in hotels is excessively expensive and unnecessary.
There is an implication that the inclusion of a water cooler in a hotel gym is a standard expectation, given the cost of such amenities.
The article suggests that it is socially acceptable to use the hotel gym solely for water, as few guests actually use the fitness facilities.
The quality of tap water is considered variable and potentially unsafe in some tourist destinations, making the gym's water cooler a preferable option.
The author hints at a broader trend of increasing hotel costs and encourages travelers to find small savings where they can.
The author endorses an AI service, ZAI.chat, as a cost-effective alternative to ChatGPT Plus (GPT-4), offering a special subscription rate.

This Unexpected Hotel Hack Will Save You Loads of Cash

And Quench Your Thirst For More Than Just Savings

I don’t miss the days where the most I could afford for accommodations was a dingy motel or an overcrowded (and often over-intoxicated) hostel.

But what I do miss are the days when you didn’t have to pay exorbitant fees for every single thing in a decent hotel.

Resort fees are the budgetary bane of most travelers’ existence. Such fees cover everything from the bare minimum of hospitality(bathroom towels, wi-fi), to amenities most don’t use (conference rooms, pools), to things no one uses (local telephone calls and sigh, fax machines).

Yet if you enter your average 3-star or better hotel that has a resort fee, you’ll notice one particular hydration-related necessity not included.

That’s right — bottled water.

And much like the mini-bar, it’s wildly overpriced. You can expect to pay $3-$6 at a minimum for room-temperature bottled water.

Somewhere out there, the French are laughing at us Americans forking out even more cash for hotel bottled water.

So how can you avoid paying for drinkable water and get some value from the resort fee?

Grab Some Water From The Hotel Gym

If you’re paying a resort fee, the vast majority of the time it’s going to have a fitness center. Even the most basic of fitness centers with a treadmill and a couple of dumbbells will have a water cooler. These coolers aren’t cheap (I battled with my department’s water vendor over their upcharges during the pandemic), so you can trust that it’s quality water.

It’s free to hotel guests though, so keep filling up that water bottle every chance you get.

Is That Weird If I’m Not Using The Hotel Gym?

According to a recent study from Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration, only 22 percent of guests actually use a hotel’s fitness facility. There will be few if any patrons there to judge if you waltz in there in your pajamas to fill up and file out. It’s even rarer for hotel staff to be actively monitoring the gym, so don’t worry about raising any of their eyebrows either.

Why Not Just Drink Tap Water From My Room?

Regardless of whether you’re staying at a Motel 6 or a Four Seasons, it’s not going to make a difference water-wise. What matters is the city’s tap water quality. There are more than a few tourist destinations with notoriously contaminated tap water.

You may want to think twice about hitting up your floor’s ice machine, too.

Hotels Are Only Going To Get More Expensive

As of November 2021, the average nightly rate of AAA-Approved Hotels has ranged between $137-$172. The more the world opens up for travel, the more the hotel industry will try to open up tourist wallets to make up for the lost time of 2020.

But if you can fill up on water at your hotel gym, you’ll increase your liquidity from both a financial and a hydration standpoint.

(And take a few of those mini-shampoos and conditioners for the road, too.)