A can of coke could cost $10 in Oslo hotel mini bar

If you are in Oslo, and you desperately crave a can of coke, stave off the one in your mini bar at all costs – or regret it, because you will feel the pinch when you get the bill at check-out.

A can of coke sold in hotels in Oslo, Norway can cost up to US$7.93 (S$9.90), according to travel review website TripAdvisor, which recently released a cost-comparison index of “common incidental items and services that travellers may purchase when staying in a hotel,” it said in a press statement.

“When planning a trip away, either for business or pleasure, we always know the cost of the hotel room itself, but what about the costs we often incur in the hotel? By comparing the cost of these popular items from hotels around the world, TripIndex Room Service gives travellers a useful snapshot of where their money will stretch the furthest,” said TripAdvisor spokesperson, Ms Jean Ow-Yeong.

The price index puts together a tally of combined costs of a club sandwich ordered on room service, a bottle of water, peanuts, mini bottle of vodka and a can of coke from the mini bar and the dry cleaning of one shirt. Costs are taken from TripAdvisor-rated 4-star hotels in various featured destinations, the statement said.

Results revealed that the most affordable destination for Singaporean travellers is Cape Town where room service cost is estimated to be S$24.70, followed by Egypt’s Sharm el Sheikh where travellers can expect to pay about S$30 if they purchase a standard basket of room service items.

The most expensive destinations when it comes to room services rates are Moscow and Paris, where TripIndex values could go up to S$103.96 and S$86.57 per basket of items purchased.

While Africa seems to offer good value for Singaporean travellers with three cities listed in the ’10 Cheapest Destinations’ list, Asia also offers great value for money. Mumbai, Jakarta and Taipei rank third, eighth and tenth cheapest destinations respectively.

Perhaps it is no surprise that Europe dominates the ‘Most Expensive list’ with room service prices in Northern Europe being the priciest. Stockholm (Sweden), Oslo (Norway), Zurich (Switzerland) and Helsinki (Finland) come in third, fourth, fifth and sixth place respectively.

Asian cities with notoriously high hotel room rates such as Tokyo and Singapore have also managed to creep into the higher end of the TripIndex, ranking seventh and eighth most expensive destinations.

With a TripIndex value of S$73.52, Singapore is close to three times more expensive than the most affordable destination, Cape Town, according to TripAdvisor.

“For Singaporeans looking to save money on hotel amenities, it seems Asia and Africa are the best destinations to visit. For those looking to stay away from home, especially in Europe, there is a price to pay and that price is on average more than four times as expensive,” added Ms Ow-Yeong.

maryanns@sph.com.sg

A can of coke could cost $10 in Oslo hotel mini bar