Vat rate of 13.5% could have 'very detrimental impact' on cost of doing business

Brian Bowler, regional operations manager with Cliste Hospitality, said the sector would appreciate a signal in the budget that the rate will not rise

Veronica Timlin, group project manager, and Brian Bowler, regional operations manager, at The Viaduct during final preparations. “In hospitality, there's always been a challenge in terms of the insurance side of things and it's continuing to increase and obviously the 9% VAT is a contentious issue as well." Picture Denis Minihane

A leading hospitality group has slashed its kilowatt-hour consumption per room sold by over 30% since 2018 and says it is taking steps to carefully manage its way through the current energy crisis.

Brian Bowler, the regional operations manager with Cliste Hospitality, which between owned properties and management contracts, runs 13 hotels with almost 1,200 rooms, said the reduction in energy consumption was achieved following a detailed property-by-property assessment.