The Consumers' Association of Ireland have hit out at the recent report that hotel prices in Dublin have gone up by 26 per cent, calling the hikes "crazy".
This week, hotel search site trivago revealed that room prices in Dublin increased by 26 per cent to an average of €167, compared to June 2014. The Hotel Price Index showed that showed that Dublin's increase was the sixth highest out of 50 selected European cities.
Dermott Jewell of the Consumers’ Association told the Irish Mirror that the spiralling prices are "higher than the market can bear" and that it will effect long term tourism with repeat visitors.
“We see something similar to what happens in Brussels in this country were the standard rate seems to double or sometimes even triple when an event is on," said Jewell.
“There is an attraction to come to Dublin but there will be no return because of the prices...anything more than 20 per cent is too high, it’s crazy," he added.
He went on to point out that hotels should be more able to keep prices down than during the boom, as the VAT rate was decreased from 13.5 per cent to nine per cent in 2011.
As well as the 26 per cent increase in Dublin prices the trivago index also found that rates went up slightly across Ireland compared to last month, rising three per cent to €120. Dublin was far ahead of the European average of six per cent for increased prices in June 2016.
