Will hotels charge a fee if you keep your room key when checking out?

Question

I hear that a lot of info is stored on those magnetic strips on the back.

Answer 1

Nope. They will NOT charge a fee if you keep your room key. Some hotel keys will store some information but not all. Still, there is no problem with keeping the key for your collection.

Answer 2

I've stayed in plenty of hotels, I've never been asked to return the room key, and I've never been charged for keeping it.