Riddle

There were these three guys who went on a long road trip across the country.

One evening, being tired, they decided to check into a hotel to rest up for the next day. They asked the bell-hop how much a room was and he said $30. 
No problem, each guy paid $10 and the bell-hop showed them to their room.

When the bell-hop came back, the manager asked, "how much did you charge those guys for that room?"

"Thirty dollars," replied the bell-hop.

Then the manager said, "That's not right, that room is only twenty five dollars. Here, take these five dollars and give it back to them."

So the bell-hop took the five dollars and headed back to the travellers room. On the way he thought about how he was going to split the five dollars three ways, so he decided to give them each one dollar and keep two dollars for himself.

So now, each guy got a dollar back. That means that they each paid nine dollars for the room.

Three times nine is twenty seven dollars.

Twenty seven dollars plus the two dollars that bell-hop kept makes twenty NINE dollars.

So, what happened to the missing dollar?

ANSWER (sort of)

Later the same night, two more tired and road-weary men arrive at the same hotel. The bell-hop again says the room costs thirty dollars, and each man pays him fifteen dollars.

The manager, once more catches the mistake and gives the bell-hop five dollars to deliver to the two men.

True to form, the bell-hop gives each man only one dollar and pockets the remaining three.

Since each man got a dollar back, that means that each man paid fourteen dollars for the room. Two times fourteen is twenty-eight dollars.

Twenty-eight dollars plus the three dollars that bell-hop kept makes thirty-ONE dollars.

Where did the extra dollar come from, you ask? It's obviously the missing dollar from the previous riddle!

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