Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As St. Patrick's Day approaches, I commend all involved in promoting and encouraging people to visit this country and city, as well as commending our colleague, Senator Eamonn Coghlan, on organising a 5K race in the city this weekend. However, I am most disturbed about the price of hotel rooms in this city for the weekend, for which "Rip-off Republic" has returned in its glory. Hotel rooms not a stone's throw from this Chamber have increased their prices six and sevenfold and over the coming weekend, a hotel room one would get for ¤50 under normal circumstances will cost ¤350 a night. Some hotel rooms in this city will cost ¤600 and ¤700 per night over the St. Patrick's weekend. This is a disgrace given all the work being done to promote tourism in this country and to encourage people to return here because one will now get value for money in a new economic climate. Unfortunately, however, the greed has returned and in advance of the bank holiday weekend, I appeal to those hotels that have increased their room rates by six and sevenfold to cop onto themselves, realise they are doing enormous damage to the credibility of this city and country and bring back rates to a more realistic level. No one objects to paying a certain premium at peak times but people certainly object to being ripped off. This is undermining both the great work being done by the many organisations promoting this country internationally and the efforts of The Gathering.