According to travel research firm STR, hotel occupancy in Dublin dropped by a quarter to 55.1% during the year that ended on March 31, with the average daily rate decreasing 6.6% to €115.47 compared to the same period a year prior.
STR data also revealed that by March 4, close to half of Dublin's hotel rooms were already booked for May, but by April 4, the number of rooms booked for May had dropped to 18%, with the majority of hotels being closed due to the COVID-19 crisis.
As of April 4, almost 38% of Dublin hotels were booked for August.
"Some Shoots Of Green"
The Irish Times quotes STR director of client relationships Sarah Duignan as saying that despite the outlook being negative for Dublin hotels for the next several months, "we are starting to see some shoots of green in September, October and further out."
Duignan added that cities such as Dublin and London will take longer to return to normal due to their reliance on international travel, but that a resurgence in "staycations" could boost regional Ireland occupancy.
Hotel occupancy in the Republic of Ireland was down 80% for the week of March 16 to March 22, and down 90% for the week of April 13 to April 19.
© 2020 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Dave Simpson. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
