Irish Cities Hotel Value Survey –

Date selected Monday 04^th Jan 1 night on www.booking.com 

Must be at least 3 star hotel

Cork 

 The 4 Star Montenotte Hotel €55.   Free parking & Leisure Centre www.themontenottehotel.com 

Dublin 

Me old sparring mates at D4 Ballsbridge Inn.  Have a 3 night special on www.booking.com that can be booked for 1 night for €35.10.  I won’t tell them if you won’t. 

Limerick 

3 Star Patrick Punches Hotel.  €49.  Now that is value and right smack in the city. 

Galway 

3 star Clybaun.  €39.  Wow.  As far as I know it is out Salthill way 

Sligo 

4 star Radisson Hotel @ €70.  Was not much choice in Sligo.  Is it a city?? 

Waterford 

3 Star Travelodge.  €45.  Stayed here once.  Clean new hotel on Cork road as you come into Waterford

From 1996-2008 Irish Hotel rooms went from 26,000 – 64,500 + 150%.  Tourists increased by 70%.  Tourist numbers fell 2008 and will fall 2009.

84 new hotels opened 2008.

Developers given tax breaks of 15% write off against cost of Hotel construction. This was changed to 4% per year for 25 years in until it phased out in 2006.  217 Hotel applications where lodged in the run up to Christmas 2005.

So a Hotel is not doing well why not close it?

If a Hotel closes down within 7 years of been built the revenue is entitled to get tax breaks back.  So I close down my Hotel and owe even more money.

It is very easy to be wise afterwards.  The amount of Hotels in Ireland is more then is needed. Tax breaks were great to improve the quality of our Hotels.  Ireland now has a great Hotel product.

If we are to be honest some hotels that opened did not make money even in the boom. Location, Location, Location. It may be the case that that some developers where doing so well on other projects they could absorb the hotel losses.  This has changed.

The IHF has called on the Government to allow Hotels to close and not have to pay back the tax breaks.

Maybe it would have been better to call for an end of the tax breaks earlier. 150% more rooms v 70% more tourists even during the boom.   Then again as I said it is easy to be wise later.