One in 10 Brits rip off the hotel mini-bar

09:55 20 March 2009

British holidaymakers have no quibbles about saving money when abroad, even if it means ripping off the hotel mini-bar.

One in 10 UK travellers admit to extorting the tempting little fridges in their hotel rooms, according to new research by holiday website Hotels.com.

They even go the extra mile by adopting popular scams such as pouring water into empty vodka bottles and topping up the whisky with black tea.

Alternatively, the thrifty Brit abroad has been known to replace the premium priced quality goods with budget brands bought at a local store.

Alison Couper, Director of Communications for Hotels.com, said: "British travellers are clearly unable to resist the temptations of the hotel mini-bar; however, our research shows they are becoming incredibly savvy in terms of how they spend their holiday money."

46% can't resist indulging in the hotel mini-bar, with the British running up a 526m bill every year.

The credit crunch has toned down the national spending somewhat with travellers spending an average of 2 each less, equating to around 15.44 on these little luxuries per traveller.

They're a steal! Do you know your foreign beers?

Irish tourists tended to spend the most on the miniature treats, while the French and Norwegian hotel guests were the cheapest.

A gender divide is also evident, as six out of 10 men deem beer essential while women don't care for it at all, much preferring chocolate, wine and a good book.

The "ideal mini-bar" however, contained bottled water and healthier snacks.

The research also revealed the most popular time for guests to raid the fridge is last thing at night.