For Tourists, Some Good News With the Bad
By DOUGLAS DALBY, LIZ ALDERMAN and GEOFFREY GRAY
Ireland’s ‘Zombie Hotels’ Beckon Visitors With Cheaper Rates
"Whoever coined the term “zombie hotels” probably won’t win any prizes for marketing. But the hotels, relics of the Celtic Tiger era in Ireland, are probably the biggest real benefit for any visitor to Irish shores.
Hundreds of them opened during the boom years, from 1997 to 2007, fueled by lavish tax breaks and the expectation of increased demand from home and abroad. The snag was that if they ceased renting rooms, they would have still owe money that had helped them get off the ground.
So despite the economic nose-dive, many have kept their doors open even if they are making little or no profit, forcing prices down across the sector. What is bad news for hoteliers is good news for everyone else.
Thanks to these so-called zombies, whose occupancy rates hover around 62 percent, tourists can now expect to pay a fraction of the cost for lodging that they might have a few years ago. In recent studies, hotel prices in Ireland rank among the cheapest in Europe, with average rooms in Dublin now costing about 80 euros (about $100 at $1.26 to the euro); 70 euros ($89) elsewhere in the country.
In 2013, the Irish government is hosting an initiative called The Gathering, in an attempt to encourage everyone to invite friends and relatives to visit. Because of the zombies, there has probably never been a better time to go."
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