Dublin hotel rejects accusation of price gouging for Taylor Swift concerts

The Iveagh Garden Hotel has hit back at criticism of the €999.99 rate on Booking.com coinciding with Taylor Swift's concerts at the Aviva Stadium. Picture: Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP/Getty

A Dublin hotel has hit back after being criticised for reportedly hiking prices ahead of Taylor Swift’s concerts in Dublin next summer.

The US pop star announced on Tuesday that she would be performing two dates at the Aviva Stadium on June 28 and 29, 2024.

The Iveagh Garden Hotel on Dublin's Harcourt St was reported to have raised the price of a room from €359 to €999 for the nights of the concerts, a move that Environment Minister Eamon Ryan described as “shocking”.

Director of sales at the hotel, James Hayde, told the Irish Examiner that prices have not yet been set on Booking.com for summer 2024 by the hotel.

“For this reason, booking.com has set a default rate of €999.99. Should you check the November/October of 2024, it will have the same default rate for all rooms," he said.

Prices for The Iveagh Garden Hotel in 2024 will start at €200 per night. Prices will fluctuate throughout the year dependent on demand, as is the same with all hotels.

My Hayde said that increased rates "are not set in anticipation of any Dublin events". 

Eamon Ryan warned about the potential damage of allegations of large price increases.

The Iveagh Garden Hotel hit back at the criticism, saying €999.99 was a default rate due to prices not yet been set on Booking.com. File picture 

“We’ve a real problem when you get that sort of pricing — it does a lot of reputational damage to the city and the country," he told Newstalk Breakfast.

Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe also criticised reports of supposed price gouging.

Mr Donohoe said he takes what the hospitality sector does “pretty seriously” and he called for them to do right by Taylor Swift fans.

I’ve not held back in the past from behaviour I’ve seen in the hospitality sector at a time in which we were trying to get the sector back on its own two feet again.

A spokesperson for the Irish Hotels Federation said "the vast majority of Irish hotels do not make rooms online any earlier than one year out".

"This means that there is currently almost no hotel availability through online booking engines given that the dates for the concerts are over a year away. For many hotels, even shorter lead in times apply for listing rooms through online booking engines," the spokesperson added.

"This means that people looking to book at this stage should consider contacting hotels directly either through their own websites or by phone to enquire about rates and get the best value."