Hotels betting on the post-Covid future

Faced with long restrictions that are only just being lifted many hotels are using the opportunity to make significant upgrades

Rob and Rebecca O’Keeffe proprietors of The Emmet Hotel in Clonakilty.

As Ireland’s hospitality sector reached another milestone this week with the Government announcement that indoor dining can resume later this month, the country’s hotels are betting on a positive future post-Covid.

The sector was one of the worst-hit by the pandemic with major restrictions but in place on travel, dining and drinking. Summer 2020 offered a brief reprieve with the massive surge in staycations. 2021 is offering similar hopefuls signs but significant challenges remain for the industry.