Hmm, the user is asking about whether it's reasonable for the Peace Hotel in Shanghai to charge 50 yuan for a can of Coca-Cola that's poured into a glass. This is a pretty interesting question about pricing strategies at high-end establishments.
Looking at the search results, I can see this was actually a viral news story in July 2025. The Peace Hotel in Shanghai was caught on video charging 50 yuan for a can of regular Coca-Cola (which normally costs about 3 yuan), simply by pouring it into a glass. The same price applied to Sprite, and they even charged 90 yuan for a bottle of Evian water.
The Shanghai Huangpu District Market Supervision Bureau responded to this by stating that the pricing falls under "market-adjusted pricing" - meaning the hotel has the legal right to set their own prices as long as they clearly display the prices and consumers agree to pay. The hotel also mentioned they charge service fees and allow bringing your own drinks but with a 300 yuan corkage fee.
This situation really highlights the tension between legal pricing and perceived value. On the legal side, the hotel is completely within their rights to charge this premium. But ethically and perceptually, many consumers feel it's unreasonable to pay 16 times the standard retail price for the same physical product, especially when the only "service" provided is pouring the soda into a glass.
The key factors here seem to be:
- The Peace Hotel's historical prestige and prime location (they're charging for the experience and ambiance)
- The service fees that get added on top
- The lack of clear justification for the massive price difference
- The fact that similar luxury venues often use similar pricing strategies
For my response, I should clearly separate the legal perspective from the consumer perception perspective. I'll explain that legally it's permissible, but whether consumers consider it reasonable is subjective and depends on their expectations of value at high-end establishments. I should also mention the related practices like corkage fees and service charges that contribute to the overall cost structure at such hotels.
