Hotel room rates steady at €81 a night thanks to flurry of advance bookings

Hotel room rates were stable in Ireland for the first half of the year due to advance bookings for festivals and concerts and the return of the conference market.

The Hotels.com Hotel Price Index, which tracks hotel prices across the world, found that the average price per night in Ireland is €81.

Hotels.com’s senior director of market management, Seamus MacCormaic, said: “While prices are stable, it’s important to remember that we’re coming from three years of steep price declines and at an average rate of €81 per night, Ireland still offers exceptional value for both domestic and international travellers.”

Ireland remained in line with international trends, with the price of the average room increasing by 4%. Despite the increase in room prices, Ireland remained one of the best-value destinations in Europe, with only Portugal and Malta offering lower average prices.

Within Ireland, the price of a room in Dublin lagged slightly behind international trends, increasing by 3% and taking the index average from €77.

Dublin prices were driven by demand due to events in the capital. High-profile concerts such as Bruce Springsteen and The Stone Roses and festivals such as Dublin City of Science and the Tall Ships have all helped boost prices.

Room rates in Dublin are recovering from several years of steep decline, but are still no way near 2008 prices, when the average room rate in the capital was €105 per night.

The price of a night in a hotel in Belfast increased by nearly 20% as the fluctuations between the euro and sterling drove prices up.

Despite the spike in Belfast room rates, it was Kilkenny that retained its title for the most expensive room rates in Ireland. Kilkenny hotel rates fell by 8% but were still the highest in the country according to the index. The average room rate in the Marble City was €96, down from €104 for the same period last year.

Waterford, which had the lowest prices in Ireland, saw prices rise 6% from €65 to €69, while prices in Cork remained flat, down just €1% to an average of €79 between Jan and June 2012.

Internationally, Capri on Italy’s Amalfi Coast topped the chart as the world’s most expensive destination, with prices up 15% to €239 per night.