Does Dublin need to be building more hotels? 

At present, there are thought to be some 250 hotels in the capital with around 22,000 rooms. 

Of that number, roughly 4,000 are being used for non-tourism purposes - such as housing refugees or asylum seekers. 

Last week, Dublin City Council refused planning permission for a hotel in Temple Bar on the grounds it could create "an over-concentration of hotel and apart hotels in the local area and a lack of variety of uses in the vicinity”

2B1XXM0 Illuminated hotel room bed with bedside telephone at night

Out on the streets of Dublin, The Pat Kenny Show reporter Josh Crosbie found mixed opinions; one man was adamant that there are already “too many” hotels in the capital already and other forms of construction should be prioritised.

“[They should be] prioritising housing for people who are on housing lists in Dublin,” he said. 

Another man said the Government should step in to tackle high prices. 

“I don’t think there’s a need for more,” he said. 

“Just regulate what’s going on pricewise for what’s here already… there’s plenty around in the city and just on the outskirts.” 

Need for development

By contrast, other locals stressed the essential role hotels play in facilitating visitors into the capital.

“I think the people who build hotels would know if hotels are needed here, so they wouldn’t have invested so much money in building them,” one woman told Josh. 

“So, I do believe that they’re [there] for a reason… It’s good to see, bring more money in.” 

Her views were echoed by another woman who said she was concerned about the high prices many hotels charge. 

“I think there should be hotels because there’s not enough for people who come to visit us and they’re taken up by tourists,” she said. 

“So, I think for ordinary people coming, you need more hotels. 

“People come and it’s too expensive for them.” 

Similarly, a couple visiting from Sydney, Australia said they had chosen to stay in Airbnb because of the prices hotels are charging. 

“It was difficult to find accommodation that wasn’t very expensive,” one said.

Main image: The Dublin skyline filled with tower cranes. Photo: Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie