Average hotel prices during Web Summit reached €191

Average hotel prices in Dublin during this week's Web Summit reached €191, according to new figures.

An analysis by hotel search website trivago.ie showed prices during the event were an average of €190 per night, up 31 per cent on the November monthly average of €145.

The website said prices in Dublin peaked at €191 on November 4th, which is 43 per cent more expensive than the following week on November 11th, when prices are €134.

It was announced in September that the 2015 Web Summit is the last to be held in Dublin before the tech event switches to Lisbon next year.

Hotel prices in Dublin are averaging €145 so far this year from January to November. This is 25 per cent higher than Lisbon, which is average €116 for the year so far.

Web Summit co-founder Paddy Cosgrave criticised Dublin’s infrastructure, high-cost hotels and the poor wifi in the RDS before the decision to move the event to Lisbon in 2016 was made.

The figures come just a day after the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) refuted Mr Cosgrave’s claims in relation to hotel accommodation for the event.

It said industry evidence shows hotel room rates in Dublin were “highly competitive” for the event.

It cited its own figures, which said the average room rate charged by hotels in Dublin on November 3rd - “the busiest night” of this year’s Web Summit - was approximately €155 at a time when occupancy levels reached 95 per cent.

“This represents excellent value for a major international event of this scale in a European capital at a time when Dublin is almost fully booked,” it said in a statement.

“Towards the start of 2015, the IHF initiated direct contact with senior members of the Web Summit team seeking to provide support for hotel bookings in advance of this year’s event.

“We met and corresponded with the organisers, proposing full access to a dedicated facility for block booking rooms across Dublin. The facility would have provided the organisers with access to advance booking rates for thousands of hotel rooms at very competitive prices.”