A man said he'd had two pints of beer two hours earlier when he was over the drink-drive limit sat in a car with the engine running, a court heard.
Police were called to Colwick Hall Hotel on January 10 at 2.40am after reports of someone sat in a Skoda Fabia with the engine running.
The person was apparently intoxicated, Nottingham Magistrates' Court heard on Wednesday, February 17.
Cosmin Badaca was in the driver's seat with a female passenger.
He said he had two pints of beer two hours before.
After providing police with a positive roadside breath test, Badaca said: "I wasn't driving and I was just sat in the car".
He pleaded guilty to drink-driving at Colwick Hall Hotel after he had 53 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, over the limit of 35.
During a police interview, he said he had been at a friend's address until 2am. He had booked a room for the following night at the hotel and drove there.
"He was told he wasn't able to come in," explained the prosecutor.
Badaca, 38, of Loughborough Avenue, Sneinton, said he and his passenger went and sat in the car. He had not driven the vehicle from that point and said he was sorry.
He was worried because his job was as a lorry driver, the court heard.
He had booked into the hotel for the following night and thought he could pay a supplement and stay that night as well, said his lawyer.
"When interviewed, he made full and frank admissions as to his movements, hence his guilty plea," he added.
Badaca came to the UK about seven or eight years ago with his wife and son and "they have established a decent life for themselves in this country".
He was a night-time, self-employed lorry driver earning £700 to £900 a week. He is now in receipt of benefits.
A reference, read out by his lawyer, said: "He is normally a responsible law-abiding citizen".
He was fined £120, ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £34 and £85 costs. A driving disqualification was imposed for 12 months. This will be reduced by 91 days if he completes a drink-drive rehabilitation course.
