Greedy hotels need a change of attitude
Friday July 23 2010
REGARDING the concerns expressed by the hotel industry of late at the drastic fall in business, my own experiences might shed some light on the source of the problems.
At the height of the Celtic Tiger, I had a need to stay overnight in Dublin on a Saturday and phoned the cheapest hotel chain to book.
While its standard rates were being advertised on the radio, the price I was quoted for that one night was three-and-a-half times that amount.
When I queried it, I was told that there was an international rugby match on that weekend and when I pushed it further, the girl on the phone told me that they were charging that amount, "because we can".
So I decided to drive from Cork, do my business and then find a cheaper alternative on the Dublin to Cork road later that evening.
On the way back, I stopped at a hotel, confirmed they had a room, agreed the rate and, as I passed over my credit card, I thought to confirm that it was a smoking room. The receptionist tossed my card back and said: "We don't cater for your kind here."
Our hotels are victims of their own greed and arrogance. We all have a story about tea and a scone costing €6 and more.
Well, they made hay while the sun shone, and they now have to confront the current reality. It appears that we don't wish to be ripped off any longer.
Perhaps while they survive -- I am confident they will -- on their ill-gotten profits, they might reflect on a complete change of attitude to avail of the upturn when it comes.
John Mallon
Mayfield, Cork
The hotel industry now finds itself in the position of having 10,000 excess hotel rooms to fill. The Irish Hotels Federation is reported as complaining that there is no sign of an upturn in the future.
Neither the federation nor the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation seem to have appreciated that the general hotel policy of quoting rooms at 'Per Person Sharing' (PPS) is short-sighted.
There are many single people who would jump at the chance of a hotel holiday but who are put off by the letters PPS.
Moreover, there are also couples who prefer not to share a room.
If hotels were to indulge in a bit of lateral thinking, by dropping the unreasonable PPS, they could fill many of the empty 10,000 rooms.
David Sowby
Dublin 18
Irish Independent
