Is it the kind of minibar connected to the phone line, where every item presses down a dedicated knob thus touching the item releases the signal to the system? The only time I saw something like this was in a hotel in US of A and viciousness of it infuriated me.
If virtual it can be automatically as part of the guest check in flow.
That's a lot of hostile innovation no one needs neither asked for. Almost like the infamous US prison technology.
Turn your cost center into profit center! (by charging your guests $5 for touching a Snickers bar)
On checkout, I had a huge bill for a bunch of things in the minibar. I guess I jostled the items enough that it tripped whatever switches or sensors they used. I complained to the front desk, and luckily they refunded all of it.
Before sensors, people would grab a $5 can of soda at 2am, drink it, swing by the convenience store in the morning and get a 12-pack for $6, and put a single can back in the minibar. On paper it's a 1:1 swap, so it's not really stealing, but hotels wanted their profits, so they invested in the sensors.
I'm sure other hotels just check what gets restocked and charge you accordingly, but hotels that really want to juice you will get every dollar they can.
[0] https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-las-vegas/minibars...
It's not stealing at all.
I always stuff my own drinks into the minibar fridge between the hotel supplied ones, something like this would really piss me off.