You do not need to gamble your money to be a high roller in Las Vegas. All you need to do is pay $25 for a bottle of water. Or $90. Or perhaps even more money in Las Vegas when all taxes and fees are included in the total cost as only one of the outrageous prices that items cost from the minibar.
$25 For a Bottle of Water. Or $90. Or Perhaps Even More in Las Vegas.
I stayed at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Las Vegas resort property recently. Although I could not believe the prices that the resort property was charging for items that are found in — as well as above — the minibar, the large bottles of Fiji water were what caught my attention:
$25.00 dollars is the charge for a bottle of Fiji water that is sitting at room temperature. I could not tell you how many ounces of water that bottle contained; but I would guess 20 ounces.
I dared not pick up a bottle or even touch it. Doing so automatically adds that charge of $25.00 — plus Nevada State sales tax, I would bet — to the room, whether or not it is consumed. I ensured that I was careful not to breathe too heavily near the minibar area.
What if it was touched and the guest wants the water to be cold? Do not open the minibar refrigerator…
…for at Mandalay Bay, an additional charge of $50.00 will automatically be added to the folio for the room. If you want an actual refrigerator to cool your food and beverages, you can rent one for personal use — although I am not sure of what is the daily fee.
Wait a minute, Brian, you are probably asking yourself while scratching your head with a puzzled look on your face as question marks of all different colors and sizes fly all over the place and onto the floor. The $25.00 for the bottle of water and $50.00 just for opening the minibar refrigerator adds up to $75.00. Why is $90.00 in the title of this article? Is this some sort of “click-bait” or something?
I wish I could tell you that it is “click-bait” — but the charge for simply opening the minibar refrigerator at W Las Vegas — which used to be the Delano Las Vegas hotel property — is $65.00 and not $50.00, like it is at Mandalay Bay. I am assuming that a similar bottle of water costs $25.00; but I would bet that it costs more.
Final Boarding Call
The usurious prices that are charged for minibar items at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Las Vegas; W Las Vegas; and other properties in Las Vegas is flat out unmitigated greed.
Even worse is that even though the warnings are clearly displayed, guests still fall for this minibar scam — whether purposely or accidentally.
If you are thirsty and need water, here are several tips for you:
- Purchase a bottle of water at the vending machine near the ice machine on the floor of where your room is located. A cold bottle of Aquafina water costs $3.00 at Mandalay Bay; but that same bottle costs $6.00 from a vending machine at W Las Vegas, which is why I surmised that the $25.00 bottle of Fiji water at the minibar in a room at Mandalay Bay likely costs more at W Las Vegas.
- Head out to a store on Las Vegas Boulevard — such as CVS or Walgreens, for example — and purchase however much bottled water you want or need. It will cost you less than in a hotel or resort property. You can place the water in a bucket of ice, which thankfully is still complimentary. If you are able to shop for water somewhere off of The Strip, you likely could purchase water even less expensively.
- Bring an empty water bottle and fill it yourself — either at the water dispensing machines that are on the main floor of Mandalay Bay; or from the sink in the bathroom of your hotel room.
I am sure that people who are more familiar with what happens in Las Vegas might believe that this is not news at all and that this type of pricing is expected — but many people who may have never been to Las Vegas should know before they find themselves paying substantially more than they thought they would pay.
I do wonder how long the items that are offered in minibars get replenished or replaced at those prices…
All photographs ©2025 by Brian Cohen.
