Hotels looking for gov. Cash?

silverharp

Only caught a bit of the headlines on the RTE news. Is socialization for the rich going to spend a mid-week break at some of those tax break fuelled developments.
Any reason why the problem hotels shouldn't be bought up in the bankruptcy court for 10c on the € and reopened bringing some afforability back to the sector?

Takeshi_Kovacs

Because it wouldn't be in keeping with governments attempt at trying to maintain "Celtic Tiger " era prices on everything. God help us if we were to lose our rep as ripoff ireland

is_that_so

There was some discussion on this on radio today. Someone pointed out that the tax breaks went on for far too long and encouraged Paddy Developer to shove up hotels in housing estates or any old building. They also suggested that there is now serious overcapacity due to the hotel building boom.

Coughlan said yesterday that they might look at other areas such as tourism. I don't have a problem with the basic principle but like others here I'd like to see some price reductions and very strict oversight. If a hotel is not viable let it go to the wall.

P. Breathnach

is_that_so wrote: »

... If a hotel is not viable let it go to the wall.

We might end up with some very good retirement/nursing homes.

freedom of info

a hotel is a business like any other, if it is not viable let it go to the wall, where has all the millions they made during the celtic tiger gone,

gurramok

Overcapacity is a good thing considering how pricey hotels rooms are generally in this country.
Cheaper accommodation as well as cheap flights are a big plus in getting tourists here in the first place.

Carawaystick

Ned O'Keefe was on Newstalk lunchtime last week - probably Friday - saying the tax breaks were a bad idea like the section 23 before that and like the hospital's breaks are now. At least someone there can see the error of their ways even if they can't act to fix them....

One point is that the older hotels who traded reasonably responsibly are being undercut by newly built ones that are being propped up by he banks to retain capital tax breaks. This should stop- I stayed in a 5 star hotel over the bank holiday weekend for 47 per person sharing - How can any real business compete with that.

gurramok

I'd like to know where the 47quid a night hotel is, care to elaborate?

Unless its one of those D4 hotels.com chain, i'm mystified as i myself was searching for somewhere to stay down the country(Galway&Kilkenny cities) for the last few months, most hotels were still charging 130quid+ a night per room. Thats outrageous considering I could get flights and a hotel stay in the UK for the same price and not get ripped off eating\drinking out.

Guess which option I went for in the end so I want no intervention in the market for the hotels.

kevteljeur

gurramok wrote: »

I'd like to know where the 47quid a night hotel is, care to elaborate?

Unless its one of those D4 hotels.com chain, i'm mystified as i myself was searching for somewhere to stay down the country(Galway&Kilkenny cities) for the last few months, most hotels were still charging 130quid+ a night per room. Thats outrageous considering I could get flights and a hotel stay in the UK for the same price and not get ripped off eating\drinking out.

Guess which option I went for in the end so I want no intervention in the market for the hotels.

It's another insane idea that Ireland Inc. can do international business without actually producing anything, and simply exist and be expensive, and that because it's Ireland, it's worth it. And the State propped it up.

I thoroughly agree, it's unfortunate for people in the sector, but it needs to succeed or fail on it's own merits. If only the banking sector were to be treated the same way...



.

Dob74

Irish hotels are just have to drop there prices to match there european counterparts.
The government wants european intergration but charge irish prices.

mikemac

Many were built with tax breaks.

Let them go to the wall if they fail.
And having worked in many hotels, many times there are very few Irish people working there.

Possibly because a lot of people won't work crazy hours for minimum wage.
Like clearing up from a wedding at 4am and being told open the main bar for 10am tomorrow.

Minimum rest periods? lol, hotel management never heard of them or don't care.

mikemac

Carawaystick wrote: »

I stayed in a 5 star hotel over the bank holiday weekend for 47 per person sharing - How can any real business compete with that.

Where was this?

freedom of info

mikemac wrote: »

Where was this?

i used to stay in a hotel in swinford for a tenner per night, absolute sh!thole, that bad the rats moved out and the cockroches were not too pleased either

ceret

A B&B in Clare was the same price as a hotel in Nice, France for me.

That's why tourism will fail here,

EastWallGirl

They are having a crisis meeting today in Malahide, with no agenda!

The guy fronting the Hotel Asssociation or whatever was off the wall.

Basically said none them should go broke that they want a say in NAMA if for example if a hotel goes into the NAMA pot.

The stupidity of whole thing can be summed in the Northern Hotel on the Julianstown exit of the M1, completely pointless

randypriest

The banks needed a bailout not to go under and with reluctance huge sums of money were handed over to secure our country's future causing severe financial hardships which we are paying for now (income/pension levy etc.)

But these hoteliers must be crazy. Do they think every rich gob****e has a right to be rich? Do they think they have a right to taxpayers money when hundreds of millions has been paid out by the Government already in tax breaks on the Construction of these inefficient rip-off castles?

A bail out or taxpayer funded subsidy, by its very nature should only happen in extreme cases in the public interest or in a crucial domestic exporting industry which employs many which has hit a temporary financial blip but is economically viable(eg: the automobile industry in America.)

Hotels are an extravagant ridiculously expensive luxury which are a cornerstone of rip-off Ireland. Their owners motives here are adorned with vanity and self-indulgance. The dreadful treatment of hotel staff is one of the most disgraceful aspects of this shambolic industry. Let them go to the wall and let the courts auction them off for next to nothing, because thats all the value most hotels are worth.

dresden8

randypriest wrote: »

Do they think every rich gob****e has a right to be rich? Do they think they have a right to taxpayers money when hundreds of millions has been paid out by the Government already in tax breaks on the Construction of these inefficient rip-off castles?

Yes, yes they do.

LeoB

randypriest wrote: »

The banks needed a bailout not to go under and with reluctance huge sums of money were handed over to secure our country's future causing severe financial hardships which we are paying for now (income/pension levy etc.)

But these hoteliers must be crazy. Do they think every rich gob****e has a right to be rich? Do they think they have a right to taxpayers money when hundreds of millions has been paid out by the Government already in tax breaks on the Construction of these inefficient rip-off castles?

A bail out or taxpayer funded subsidy, by its very nature should only happen in extreme cases in the public interest or in a crucial domestic exporting industry which employs many which has hit a temporary financial blip but is economically viable(eg: the automobile industry in America.)
quote]

Very Good. Agree with just about all you say.

The banks were extreme but I wonder will any action be taken against anyone for wreckless trading?

Pity I didnt see the link for Fota before I booked a hotel in London. Its a joke what these cowboys in hotels are charging. If we had over supply by 1,000 we could cope but the latest figure is 13,500 too many beds. What clown let this happen? The hotel groups were to hungary and busy ripping us off to notice they did not need the extra capacity. Cant see them getting anything until they make some concerted effort to do something about their operations, ie... Family rooms, max 5% single supplement, bed only.

If there are a few single story hotels they should be let go to the wall and turned into nursing homes for elderly who dont have the means to pay for a bed in private care. Maybe some good will come out it.

Hotels are an extravagant ridiculously expensive luxury which are a cornerstone of rip-off Ireland. Their owners motives here are adorned with vanity and self-indulgance. The dreadful treatment of hotel staff is one of the most disgraceful aspects of this shambolic industry. Let them go to the wall and let the courts auction them off for next to nothing, because thats all the value most hotels are worth.[/

Carawaystick

a reasonable explanation of the 47euros hotel stay here
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2009/0814/1224252548128.html

The taxbreaks made sh1te of our residential property market.
they are making the same brown stuff out of the hospitality market, and as Ned O'Keefe said on Newstalk, they will do the same to our hospitals in the future.

They distort the real market so much, I can't see much value in them.