Fat Surcharge

A German hotel has come up with a novel way of calculating rates for their rooms: they charge based upon a person's weight. Guests step on a scale at check-in and pony up the euros based upon where the scale rests.  The going rate is half a euro ($0.64 cents) per kilogram.  This means a person weighing 68 kilograms (150 pounds) pays 34 euros per night ($44). 

Obviously this has raised the ire of plump Germans who are crying discrimination.  The reality, however, is that the hotel has a maximum rate of 39 euros (78 kg /172 pounds) no matter how corpulent you might be.  In addition, they do not take into consideration Body Mass Index (BMI).  So a 5-foot, 150-pounder blob pays the same as a lanky, 6'4" 150-pounder.  Thus, there is no discrimination between the fat and the lean.  It does make me wonder, however, if Armin Meiwes ever stayed here? It would have been the perfect B&B for his tastes. 

Filed under: Germany, Hotels and Accommodations