What you need to know

Despite the growth of services such as Airbnb, Irish consumers continue to show a preference for staying in hotels when taking an overnight trip across the island of Ireland. Consumers are more likely to stay at a hotel chain or independent operator compared to a room or property rented via Airbnb and book bed and breakfast when staying at a hotel.

The extra services and facilities available at hotels and resorts make staying at these locations more appealing to consumers than an Airbnb property. There is also interest in novelty hotels and operators could transform their properties for themed weekends to create standout in the market for consumers who are increasingly looking for more immersive experiences.

Issues covered in this Report

  • This Report will examine the hotel sector within the Irish tourism industry. This includes hotels (all types) and resorts in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland only. For the purpose of this Report, a hotel is defined as an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis and with limited additional facilities for travellers and tourists. A resort is a self-contained establishment that aims to provide most of a traveller’s needs, such as food, drink, sports, entertainment and spas and beauty treatments for example.

  • This Report only looks at other accommodation providers from a competitive viewpoint such as bed and breakfast accommodation, guesthouses, caravans, camping, rented accommodation, hostels and staying with a friend or relative. Although the booking and use of accommodation services for business purposes are discussed, this Report will focus primarily on the booking and use of accommodation services for leisure purposes.

  • Data in this Report includes general information on the tourism industry for both NI and RoI, but its main focus is upon the hotel sector of the market. While this Report makes mention of business travellers where appropriate, it focuses mainly on leisure travellers and holidaymakers.

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