Galway hotel prices remain static

Hotel room rates in Galway fell just one per cent in the first half of 2012 to €94 per night, according to the latest Hotels.com Hotel Price.

Despite the slight dip in rates, Galway is Ireland’s second most expensive destination, just behind Kilkenny at €96 and well above the national average of €81.

The city attracted strong leisure business at weekends in the first half of the year, while advance bookings for popular summer events such as the Galway Arts Festival, the Galway Races and Volvo Ocean Race have helped keep prices stable.

On a national level, hotel room rates in Ireland remained stable in the first six months of the year compared to the same period last year. At €81 per night, hoteliers have managed to maintain price levels following a modest four per cent price increase in 2011, which came on the back of the high profile state visits last year. Globally, hotel room prices rose four per cent in same period.

This continued stabilisation can be attributed to a number of factors including advanced bookings for festivals and concerts, the return of the conferencing market and the continued value on offer throughout the country.

Ireland remains one of the best value destinations in Western Europe with only Portugal (€77) and Malta (€73) less expensive than Ireland at present.

The Hotels.com Hotel Price Index (HPI) is a regular survey of hotel prices in major destinations across the world. The HPI is based on bookings made on Hotels.com and prices shown are those actually paid by customers in the Eurozone (rather than advertised rates) in the first half of 2012.