Will the recession force hotels and B&Bs to check out of the tourist industry or was this summer better than expected? Alison Healyfinds out
IRISH HOLIDAYMAKERS threw a lifeline to hotels in recent weeks after a very shaky start to the summer season but many B&Bs and hostels have struggled to earn a living this year.
A snapshot survey of 20 hotels, B&Bs and hostels found that their occupancy rates last Saturday night ranged from 50 to 100 per cent as some people made the most of their dwindling summer holidays.
The summer started out poorly, according to Paul Keeley, Fáilte Ireland’s director of enterprise development, but domestic holidaymakers and the attraction of festivals boosted business in the past four to six weeks.
“For the last couple of weeks, hotels in some parts of the country had occupancy rates north of 90 per cent,” he said.
Hotels and B&Bs in the traditional tourist hotspots such as Galway, Kerry, Cork and other urban centres performed very well, he said, but it was a different story for hotels outside tourist centres. And almost all the BBs and hostels we contacted complained about the difficulty of competing with rock-bottom hotel rates.
Mr Keeley estimated that hotel occupancy was up by 3 per cent for the first six months of the year when compared with the previous year while guest house occupancy remained much the same. BBs saw their occupancy fall by an average of 5 per cent while hostels were down by 3 per cent. Group self-catering accommodation saw a 1 per cent drop but Mr Keeley said the end-of-season figure would be better for self-catering businesses as July and August were very busy.
He estimated that the average rate for a city-based hotel fell by 11 per cent in the first six months of the year but the reduction was as high as 20 per cent in some areas.
Hotel/Hostel/B&B occupancy rates on Saturday night (August 21st)
- Ardglas B&B, Letterkenny, Co Donegal, 50 per cent:It has been a "fairly quiet" summer for this BB on the edge of Letterkenny. While it is close to several golf courses, the golfing has attracted only a handful of visitors this year.
- Ardmore House, Kinnitty, Co Offaly, 100 per cent:The B&B was fully booked on Saturday because of a wedding in nearby Kinnitty Castle. Business is down on last year, which, in turn, was down on previous years.
- Brooks Hotel, Drury Street, Dublin 2, 93 per cent:The four-star city centre hotel was full on Saturday night apart from a few suites and one or two executive rooms. The hotel said the key difference between this summer and last was the late booking trend.
- Cashel Lodge, Co Tipperary, 100 per cent:This self-catering guesthouse near the Rock of Cashel was full on Saturday night, because of a wedding. The French market was doing well this month but its caravan and camping business was "very slack".
- Castle Hostel, Upper Castle Street, Tralee, Co Kerry, 100 per cent:Not surprisingly, this hostel in the town centre was full on Saturday night as the Rose of Tralee festival swung into action. The summer trade was slightly down on last year, but they had expected it to be worse.
- Doonagore Farmhouse, Doolin, Co Clare, 100 per cent:This B&B on the Cliffs of Moher Road had a quiet July but August has been very busy, with a large clientele from Europe and, in particular, Italy.
- Dromoland Castle, Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co Clare:This five-star hotel did not respond to the query.
- Forster Court Hotel, Galway:This city-centre hotel did not respond to the query.
- Fortview House, Belturbet, Co Cavan, 100 per cent:This family-run B&B was full on Saturday night because the All-Ireland Fleadh was on in Cavan. It was a difficult summer for the B&B, like many others, and the occupancy rate could be as low as 10 per cent on a different Saturday night.
- Galway Bay Hotel, 100 per cent:The four-star hotel performed better than last summer, with 80 per cent of its trade coming from Irish holidaymakers.
- Harbour House Hostel, Sligo, 60 per cent:This 50-bed hostel had a difficult start to the year with Arctic weather conditions in January followed by the volcanic ash cloud, but things picked up in July and August.
- Hodson Bay Hotel, Athlone, Co Westmeath, 100 per cent:The four-star hotel had a "very strong summer" and revenue rose by a few percentage points this summer when compared with last year.
- Horse and Hound Hotel, Ballinaboola, Foulkmills, Co Wexford, 86 per cent:The three-star family-run hotel has been "very, very busy" this summer and is booked up for this weekend.
- Kilkenny Tourist Hostel, Parliament Street, Kilkenny, 80 per cent:The hostel in an 18th-century Georgian townhouse maintained business at last year's levels "which we are thankful for as we probably thought it was going to be worse".
- Lurgan House, Westport, Co Mayo: 100 per cent:The B&B under the shadow of Croagh Patrick was full on Saturday night because of the Gaelforce West adventure race, but the summer was definitely quieter than last year.
- Lynolan House, Haynestown, Dundalk, Co Louth, 50 per cent:The B&B on the outskirts of Dundalk said business was "drastically down" on last year. "People are just not travelling because, if they were, we would have them."
- Malinbeg Hostel, Glencolmkille, Co Donegal, almost 50 per cent:The hostel saw a slight decline in visitors this year "but it wasn't a disastrous year by any means".
- The Old Presbytery, Rathdrum, Co Wicklow, 50 per cent:The 80-bed hostel had a very difficult year until this month, when business improved significantly.
- Parknasilla Resort and Spa, Sneem, Co Kerry, more than 90 per cent:The four-star hotel enjoyed a better summer than expected.
- Sheraton Hotel, Athlone, 100 per cent:The hotel saw "significant growth, year on year" and attributed this to its strong marketing of the hotel as a spa and shopping destination for couples and groups of friends.
