Cost of hotel rooms plummets

The average cost of a double room in an Irish hotel has fallen by almost a third since June, according to new figures published…

The average cost of a double room in an Irish hotel has fallen by almost a third since June, according to new figures published today.

The Hospitality Ireland Hotel Tracker Index (HTI), which measures the average room rate of Ireland’s hotels, reveals that the cost of a double room now stands at €107.70, compared to €153.19 last June.

The average cost of a double room dropped by 5.6 per cent from December to January, and by a further 8.2 per cent this month.

Hotels in the four-star market continue to discount most extensively, with €18.56 being taken off the average price of a room between December and January.

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The average price for a five-star hotel room is now €171.91, more than €110 cheaper than in June 2008 when a room cost €283.54.

"further price drops across the sector may be on the horizon, as hoteliers pursue aggressive discounting in what is a particularly difficult trading environment," said Stephen Wynne-Jones, deputy editor of Hospitality Ireland, which compiled the index.

"As we head toward the summer months, we should see a stabilising of prices at a more respectable level, but probably less than the €153.19 average recorded last June,” he added.

Charlie Taylor

Charlie Taylor

Charlie Taylor is a former Irish Times business journalist