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Ireland’s first Radisson RED opens in Galway

Radisson RED Galway has opened its doors, making it the first property of the bold, upscale brand in Ireland. Located in Galway's newest neighborhood, Crown Square, an impressive development between Moniva Road and Joyce's Road and close to Galway's city center, Radisson RED incorporates art, music and fashion to create an unforgettable stay for guests, and is an excellent fit for this famously cultural city.

Groundbreaking Ceremony for Sofitel Dublin Airport: A New Era of Luxury Hospitality in Ireland

Accor and the Arora Group are proud to announce the groundbreaking of the highly anticipated Sofitel Dublin Airport, a new luxury hotel set to redefine the hospitality experience at Ireland's main international gateway. The hotel will feature 412 elegantly designed rooms and suites, an all-day dining restaurant, a tea salon, and a sky bar located on the 11th floor, offering stunning views of the airport and beyond.

200 Years of Sitting Pretty in Dublin: A Short Walk Through History and Hospitality at The Shelbourne Hotel

Since 1824, The Shelbourne has been a warm and inviting jewel of hospitality and the setting for some of the most dramatic cultural and political moments in Irish history. Beloved by guests and locals as “Ireland’s living room,” The Shelbourne has always reflected the spirit of the city around it, playing a significant role in the literary, social, political, culinary and artistic traditions of Irish society.

Ireland Market Beat H1 2024

Investment Trends

For H1 2024 a total of €655M was transacted, a near fourfold increase on the approximately €173M traded in H1 2023 – this pushed transaction volumes over the past year to an all-time high of almost €790M. Activity was supported by continued good operational performance across the sector and a couple of large deals including the sales of the Shelbourne Hotel and a majority stake in the Dean Hotel Group.

Prime Yields

Prime yields have moved modestly higher over the past twelve months but looking forward we expect them to stabilise, boosted by gradually looser ECB monetary policy with the first steps in this journey occurring in June with a 25 basis point interest rate cut. With growing appetite among investors and liquidity in the debt markets, we expect to see a gradual yield sharpening for prime assets as we progress into 2025.

Market Performance

Despite ongoing supply growth, the occupancy and ADR in Irish hotels remained healthy in H1 2024, with only minor softening relative to H1 2023. While RevPAR in Ireland declined by 1.2% to €125 in H1 2024, it was the 3rd-highest level in Europe. In Dublin, the occupancy reached 80% in H1 2024, the second highest in Europe, albeit a minor decline from 2023. This, combined with a 4% drop in ADR, resulted in a 5% RevPAR decrease, although 23% above pre-Covid level in 2019.

Supply Outlook

510 new rooms were delivered in Dublin in H1 while Premier Inn also opened their first hotel in Cork in January. We estimate there are currently in excess of 1,700 hotel rooms under construction in Dublin (around 6% of Dublin’s room stock) while two hotels in Cork are also due to open later this year. The new supply is welcome to satisfy growing demand, particularly in the Dublin market, albeit the increased competitiveness might constrain occupancy and ADR growth.

Demand Outlook

Ireland’s economic outlook continues to support the hotel sector. Employment hit another all-time high of 2.71 million while wages (up 4.7% year on year in Q1) are now growing in real terms as inflation (2.2% in June 2024) eases. Tourist trends also continue to be strong. Overnight trips by foreign visitors (over rolling 12-month periods) gradually rose in the first half of the year as has the average spend.

Hotel Market Beat Q4 2023 - Ireland

Our latest Ireland Hospitality Marketbeat shows that from an economic perspective, the outlook for the hotel sector remains positive – the latest Irish labor market data show an all-time high employment of 2.66 million across the economy while average weekly earnings grew by 4.6% compared to the same period in 2022, both of which supports the leisure spending outlook.