Latest news with #expensive
Daily Mail
11 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Outrage as Las Vegas hotel charges guest eye-watering price for a single bottle of water
A Las Vegas visitor got a shocking surprise after grabbing a bottle of water from their hotel room — only to later discover the $26 price tag. The unidentified guest was staying at the upscale Aria Resort & Casino when they took the one liter bottle of Fiji from the room's minibar, not realizing the steep cost until after finishing it. Making matters worse, they later spotted the same brand of water being sold at the on-site Starbucks for just $7.45. At nearby stores, it was under $3. The guest's bill — including room rate, resort fees, taxes, and the infamous water — totaled $258.51 for a single night on June 8, according to a photo published by travel site View from the Wing. The Aria, one of over 30 MGM Resorts, includes rates currently starting at $280 a night. A social media user who goes by Lasvegasblogger posted a photo in April of Aria's minibar menu, showing seven drink options — with the Fiji water clocking in at $24.75. A regular can of Coke was $13.75. 'It's a regular can of Coca-Cola in case you wonder what is deluxe,' the blogger wrote. 'Those prices make me think I'm at a Dodgers or Yankees World Series game,' one commenter joked. '7-Eleven here I come.' A traveler known as Lasvegasblogger posted a photo of a minibar menu in April that featured a $24.75 Fiji water bottle Another added: 'Never, ever touch the minibar. Cheaper to go in the casino and get a free drink — just tip the server.' Besides pricy drinks, the Aria offers a food, including $16 juice, a $20 seasonal berry plate, $34.50 mixed nuts, and a $82.50 lobster tail entrée. Neil Saunders of GlobalData revealed these prices were not a shocker as Las Vegas hotel minibars have also been 'astronomical.' 'Minibars are expensive for hotels to operate, but in the huge Vegas hotels a lot of effort is involved to keep them stocked,' Saunders told 'Vegas hotels also have lots of shops and restaurants and the owners would prefer guests used those than sit in their rooms eating things from the minibars.' He revealed that he refuses to pay minibar prices whenever he travels, and prefers to shop for beverages elsewhere. 'I simply go to the Target store on the Las Vegas Strip on my first day and stock up on things I might need. It saves a fortune.' Like Saunders, several Facebook users admitted to stopping stores like Walgreens or CVS to by drinks and 'skip the minibar.' Prices are usually high for hotels depending on factors like popularity, date of stay, and destination. However, as a result of tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, prices are drastically rising, while customers are fearing recession and the possibility of stagflation - prices rising and economic growth slowing at the same time. has reached out to MGM Resorts International for comment about the beverage prices. Travel writer Gary Leff, who wrote the story on View from the Wing. invoked the classic diamonds-water paradox to explain the eye-watering price. 'Prices are set 'at the margin,' not by total usefulness,' he wrote. 'Water is essential to life, but because it's usually abundant, the value of one extra bottle isn't very high. Diamonds, on the other hand, are not essential — but they're rare and highly desired, so each additional carat commands a premium.' The paradox, famously discussed by Adam Smith, highlights why something vital like water can be cheap, while something non-essential like diamonds can be wildly expensive.
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Daily Mail
The European city that's the most expensive in Europe - with beers costing £8 and hotels over £150 per night
If you're looking to save money on a holiday this year, there's one city you'll definitely want to avoid. The Post Office Travel Money report has revealed that Oslo, the capital of Norway, is officially the most expensive destination for a 2025 city break. Tourists will need to fork out a whopping £636.20 to afford a two-night break in the Scandinavian city. The research has found that two nights of three star accommodation in Oslo adds up to £304 on average. And costs quickly add up in Oslo even after you've paid for accommodation. Tourists will need to pay £173.08 for a three-course evening meal for two on average while a glass of wine comes to an eyewatering £9.86. A beer comes to over £8 while a Coca-Cola costs as much as £4.17. Attractions are also expensive with entrance to a top art gallery in the city costing as much as £11.37. Copenhagen is the next priciest city break on the list, with costs coming to a total of £628 for a two-night stay in the Danish capital. Accommodation is even more expensive in Copenhagen than in Oslo with tourists facing a fee of £360 for a two-night stay in a three-star hotel. A bottle of beer comes to £5.42 in Copenhagen while visitors could be charged as much as £154.27 for a three-course evening meal for two. And it's a UK destination that's the third priciest place for a city break. A two-night break in Edinburgh could set tourists back a whopping £601.50 making the Scottish capital almost £100 more expensive than London (£523.40). Edinburgh has some of the highest costs for accommodation in the ranking with tourists facing costs of £399 for two nights in a three star hotel. A meal out in the Scottish capital is also pricey at £116 for two while tourists will pay £6 for a glass of wine on average. Venice is the next priciest spot for a city break (£591.12) with Berlin (£587.65) rounding off the top five most expensive destinations. Accommodation in Berlin is particularly pricey with tourists paying around £439 on average for two nights in a three star hotel. The Post Office explains that a 'scarcity of three-star tourist accommodation' has meant that prices have risen by as much as 28 per cent in Berlin since last year's ranking. EUROPE'S MOST EXPENSIVE CITY BREAKS 1. Oslo, Norway (£636.20) 2. Copenhagen, Denmark (£628.64) 3. Edinburgh, Scotland (£601.50) 4. Venice, Italy (£591.12) 5. Berlin, Germany (£587.65) 6. Amsterdam, Netherlands (£582.79) 7. Geneva, Switzerland (£570.04) 8. Dublin, Ireland (£568.34) 9. Barcelona, Spain (£561.90) 10. Florence, Italy (£561.86) Source: Post Office Travel Money Laura Plunkett, head of Travel Money at Post Office, says: 'Although city break holidaymakers need to keep a watchful eye on exchange rates, the real challenge will be the cost of accommodation in the cities Britons are considering.' At the other end of the scale, Riga has been revealed as the cheapest city break destination in Europe. A trip to the Latvian capital will set British tourists back just £253 while Vilnius is next cheapest at £254.32.
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Travel + Leisure
06-05-2025
- Business
- Travel + Leisure
This Is the Most Expensive City in the World—and It's Not New York City or London
There are plenty of places to move to if you really want to stretch your dollar during retirement, or if you want to be a digital nomad. However, if you're someone who is absolutely swimming in cash (in this economy, no less), then the newly minted World's Most Expensive City may be for you. Every year, Henley & Partners, a company that helps people understand their options for residence and citizenship by investment (in partnership with global wealth intelligence firm New World Wealth), which tracks global wealth migration trends between countries and cities, released its World Wealthiest Cities Report. The team creates its list of the most expensive spots around the globe by digging into New World Wealth's exclusive wealth migration data and Henley & Partners' "pioneering intelligence on investment migration trends," which the two companies say offers "unparalleled insights into the global movements and preferences of high-net-worth individuals and their families." This includes more than a decade of research by both firms, ensuring a rather robust data set. The report breaks out into several lists, including the top 50 cities for millionaires, the world's fastest-growing wealth hubs, and one that caught our eye—the most expensive cities in the world, which, according to the 2025 report, is Monaco. "Monaco, arguably the world's top safe-haven for the super-rich, where the average wealth exceeds $20 million, is also the top-ranked city in the world on a wealth per capita basis," the report said. "Over 40 percent of the Mediterranean principality's residents are millionaires—the highest ratio of any city globally." But what specifically makes it the most expensive city in the world is the fact that prices for a 100 to 200 square meter (that's about 1,076 to 2,152 square feet) apartment "regularly exceed $38,800 per square meter." That means that a 1,000-square-foot apartment is going for a cool $3.88 million in to anyone who has looked at real estate in New York City lately, the Big Apple ranked as the second-most expensive place in the world, with the average "price of prime real estate being $27,500 per square meter." New York is followed by Hong Kong at $26,300, London at $24,000, and Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat in France, rounding out the top five at $21,200 per square meter, respectively. And this year, Paris took over the sixth-place spot thanks to its $20,400 per square meter average."In fact, France boasts the most cities/towns (six including Paris, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Nice, Cannes, Antibes, and Èze) on this year's World's Most Expensive Cities list followed by the U.S.," the report said, noting New York City, Los Angeles, Palm Beach, and Miami Beach all made the yes, if you've all that money lying around, or you have it in a big vault swimming pool Scrooge McDuck style, then please go buy something in Monaco. And invite us over.
