Hotel prices go Supersonic: Oasis fans pay the price

RTÉ News​

2 days ago

As excitement builds for the long-awaited Oasis reunion concert in Dublin next month, fans are facing the harsh reality of soaring hotel prices that rival the cost of a concert ticket - or more.
For many, the return of the Gallagher brothers will be music to their ears, but the price of a pillow in the capital that weekend could leave them singing a very different tune.
With thousands expected to descend on the city for the event, accommodation costs have surged to eye-watering levels for Saturday the 16th and Sunday the 17th of August.
How much are rooms?
Most hotels in Dublin city centre are charging upwards of €400 per night for a standard room - more than double the usual rate.
The Irish Hotels Federation has admitted that many hotels do hike prices when availability is limited.
"With regard to supply and demand issues, there are times when locations experience significant increases in demand, around major events, and this can result in price increases," a spokesperson for the IHF said.
"For last availability, this is a common occurrence in other industries such as airlines for example if you're booking one of the last seats on a plane, the price may reflect this."
The IHF said many of the prices listed online are last minute prices, and are not reflective of the "overall value which most fans will already have availed of when booking."
However, many hotels are offering cheaper last minute prices for this weekend, than they are for the Oasis dates in August.
One popular five-star hotel is charging over €1,800 per night for a small queen room for the Oasis weekend, excluding breakfast. That same room is available for €700 per night this weekend.
Meanwhile, a four-star hotel in the city centre is charging €537 per night for a standard king room on concert nights, again excluding breakfast, while their rate this weekend is over €200 lower.
Forced out of the city?
The IHF points to lower prices available outside of the city centre in places like City West, Clondalkin, Swords and Tallaght.
If you're willing to travel, you can bag a room for under €250 a night that weekend.
However, concert goers would have to fork out extra for transport to and from these locations, some of which are an hour drive away from Croke Park.
"It is very common for sell-out of near-capacity nights for visitors to stay in accommodation that is not within the city centre itself," the IHF argued.
Do other cities around the world bump up prices?
A report carried out by Fáilte Ireland reveals that Irish hotels are not alone when it comes to price hikes around big events.
"Dublin is not atypical with respect to room rate 'premiums' during big events," the report finds.
"Cities across the world typically exhibit similar pricing patterns."
For example, the report looks at Bruce Springsteen's 2023 European tour concert in Dublin on May 5th where hotel occupancy surpassed 90% and the average daily rate was above €250.
Hotel 'premiums' were also recorded on tour dates right across Europe.
While these varied by location, Dublin still had higher room prices than cities like Birmingham, Copenhagen and Hamburg.
Are booking platforms more expensive?
On popular platform Booking.com, 85% of hotel rooms in Dublin were booked out for the Oasis weekend at the time of writing this article.
Many people will book through such platforms, hoping to save time and money.
However, the IHF recommends booking directly with hotels to get better value, stating that rates on booking.com include "very substantial" commissions.
A quick search on the website of one four-star hotel just outside the city centre reveals that room prices are €40 cheaper when booking directly. However, this is not always the case.
Any tips for finding the best deals?
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission pointed out that the same rules apply to hotel bookings as to any other online purchase.
"Pay close attention to make sure you're on a legitimate website," said Grainne Griffin, consumer expert and Director of Communications at the CCPC.
"Booking platforms are great for comparing lots of options at once but make sure it is based in the EU in case anything goes wrong.
"Also, it's always worth approaching the hotel directly before you make the purchase to see if they will offer you a better price for booking directly," she added.
Ms Griffin said to check the terms and conditions for the booking carefully and consider the worst case scenario - "If the concert was cancelled, would you be entitled to a refund?"
Similar to the advice of the IHF, the CCPC suggests considering hotels outside of the city centre for lower prices.
"Even if you need to factor in the cost of a taxi back after the concert this could still be a better deal," she said.
Transport for Ireland have a taxi fare estimator which can help you work out costs.
One thing's for sure, if you've yet to plan your accommodation, book smart and fast - or you might just look back in anger.