Dublin hotels nearly twice the price of other European cities accused of price gouging

Fianna Fáil Senator Timmy Dooley has described the hotel sector's current approach to regaining profits as "price gouging".

Mr Dooley made the comment in the Oireachtas on Wednesday.

According to the Fianna Fáil politician, the cost of a two night stay in a Dublin hotel is nearly twice that of other European countries.

"If you look at for the next weekend, for two nights, Friday and Saturday night, it's over €700 for two nights for two people in a four-star hotel in this city," Mr Dooley said.

"I did some comparisons with Berlin, it'd be €300, Paris about €450, London €500, and Lisbon €300.

"In 2019, the average price for a room in Dublin was approximately €150 per night."

Mr Dooley pointed out that the hospitality sector received significant funding from the Government after the industry was crippled by Covid-19 restrictions over the last two years.

"I know these businesses need to recover, but they cannot expect to recoup all their losses in the course of a year because that approach will damage our image internationally."

Mr Dooley called for a debate on the issue in a bid to find a solution to the current prices.