Hoteliers reject claim prices up by 10%

The Irish Hotels Federation yesterday rejected the findings of a study on the sector which claimed prices increased by 10% in the first six months of the year.

The federation dismissed the findings of a report compiled by booking site Hotels.com, saying its authors’ figures were based on a minor share of the market and are at odds with data from the CSO. The report claimed that the average cost of a hotel room breached the €100-mark in the first six months of the year, with Killarney the country’s most expensive destination at €111.

Federation president Stephen McNally dismissed the figures, however, saying: “Less than one out of every 10 room nights booked in Ireland is sold through this booking site.