Hotel prices are down over 10%, survey reveals

HOTEL prices in Dublin dropped over 10% towards the end of last year, a survey has shown.

Tourism chiefs said serious efforts were being made to give visitors value for money.

The survey by hotels.com found the average price of a stay in a two-star hotel was €89 - down more than 20% on the same period in 2004 - while a night in a three-star hotel was €93, down 14% on 2004.

The survey also showed top-of-the-range hotels cut prices. Prices for a four-star stay dropped 20% to €130 while the cost of a five-star night fell 25% to €183.

Irish Hotels Federation chief executive John Power said the cut in prices should not come as a surprise.

“That is the general sentiment that has been around in the last couple of years. It is much more competitive. There is serious determination on giving value for money and getting the volume through.”

A spokeswoman for Tourism Ireland said: “What we have been saying all along is that contrary to a lot of Rip-Off Ireland stories Ireland is relatively inexpensive.”

The survey also examined what tourists could get for €144. In Berlin visitors can get a room in a five-star hotel, in New York a one-star room while in Dublin €144 will cover a stay in the dearer four-star hotels.