Hotels 'should do the right thing' over Taylor Swift prices, says Donohoe

Cillian Sherlock, PA

The hospitality sector should “do the right thing” in relation to hotel prices during Taylor Swift’s tour dates, Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe has said.

Media reports claim that hotel-room prices have soared to up €to 1,000 for the dates Swift is due to play in Dublin next year.

The American singer-songwriter will play two shows at the Aviva Stadium on Friday, June 28th and Saturday, June 29th, 2024.

Speaking to reporters at the launch of the public services performance report, Mr Donohoe said: “I saw Taylor Swift perform the last time she was here in Ireland and I have a pretty good idea of the level of joy and happiness her return in Ireland is going to cause for lots people who are looking forward to seeing her come back.

“At a time in which we may have missed out on Beyoncé on her current tour, it’s great to see we’re going to get Taylor Swift.”

Mr Donohoe said he was also aware of the “effect Beyoncé had on inflation levels in other economies” during her tour.

“Actually, I take pretty seriously the need for the hospitality sector to do the right thing by lots of excited fans that are coming to see Taylor Swift play in Ireland.

“I’ve not held back in the past from behaviour that I’ve seen in the hospitality sector at a time in which we’re trying to get the sector back on its own two feet again.

“If we see those few nights as an opportunity to make more money, the biggest losers in the long run from all of that will be our hotels.”

Green Party leader and Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan said the increased hotel prices were “shocking, not worth it, and not right”.

Speaking on Newstalk earlier on Wednesday, he said the pricing was a real problem and caused “reputation damage”.

“It is a very hard thing to regulate. You can’t restrict if someone wants to sell something at the price, it is not easy to come in and say: ‘No, you can’t’.

“I think for the industry it is a real problem because very quickly you get the reputation of being extortionate, and then you lose your business.

“So, I think for the tourism industry itself we have to think about how we try and avoid that.”