Sixty six per cent of Irish admit to raiding the hotel minibar while on holiday
Irish holiday-makers are unable to resist the lure of the hotel minibar, topping the list as Europe’s biggest spenders, according to research by leading hotel booking website Hotels.com Two thirds of those surveyed (66 per cent ) regularly give into temptation whilst on their travels by raiding the hotel minibar.
The Irish spend an average of €23.47 on minibar treats every time they go away, way ahead of their closest competitors, the Swedish with an average minibar spend of €17.45 and the Brits, who on average spend €16.66. At the other end of the scale, it is the French and the Norwegians who are the most frugal, spending just €12 and €10 respectively.
Minibar spend around Europe
Ireland €23.47, Sweden €17.45, UK €16.66, Germany €15.55, Denmark €15.42, Spain €15.30, France €12.84, Norway €10.67.
Despite our obvious fondness of hotel minibars, 84 per cent of Irish believe that they are too expensive, and six per cent admit to ‘minibar meddling’ — cheating the system by replacing what they’ve used from the minibar with cheaper alternatives bought from a local shop. Almost half (44 per cent ) admitted to avoiding the minibar where possible by buying snacks and drinks from outside the hotel to consume in their room.
Unusual offerings
Many hotels have started to cater for the growing demand for more quirky and extravagant minibar offerings. For example, guests at the five-star Dylan Hotel in Dublin will open their minibar to find a ‘Kama Sutra Kit’ which includes a feather, a frilly pink blindfold, and a range of scented oils. Similarly, the ‘pimp my fridge’ service at the three-star Catalina Hotel and Beach Club in Miami enables guests to order a number of personalised minibars, including the ‘Get It On Minibar’ which includes a Barry White CD for setting the mood, edible body paint, champagne, and whipped cream.
The Hotels.com research found that 67 per cent of Irish are most likely to use the minibar last thing at night when the urge for a late night snack proves too strong. The five-star Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel in Knightsbridge has responded to this by introducing a minibar ‘happy hour’ between 10pm and midnight, when guests receive a 30 per cent discount on all purchases.
What the Irish would like to find in a hotel minibar: men v women
Almost one-third of Irish (28 per cent ) surveyed felt that minibars didn’t offer what they really wanted, and healthy snacks and drinks topped the minibar wish-list for both sexes.
However, there were some significant differences between the sexes. While 66 per cent of men chose beer to feature in their perfect minibar — and 20 per cent opted for massage oil — women were more concerned about finding chocolate (48 per cent ) and a good book or magazine (34 per cent ).
Dream minibar for men
Bottled water 73 per cent, healthy snacks 80 per cent, beer 66 per cent, crisps 40 per cent, chocolate bars 66 per cent, massage oil 20 per cent.
Dream minibar for women
Bottled water 75 per cent, healthy snacks 75 per cent, low calorie drinks 39 per cent, chocolate bars 48 per cent, books and magazines 34 per cent, wine 40 per cent.
Alison Couper, director of communications for Hotels.com, says: “Irish travellers are clearly unable to resist the temptations of the hotel minibar; however, our research shows they are becoming incredibly savvy in terms of how they spend their holiday money. Sites like ours are currently offering a further 50 per cent off thousands of hotels around the world so there has never been a better time to make your money go further.”
