Single supplement to stay

HOTELS:THE IRISH Hotels Federation has said elderly people who are on their own do need to have a single supplement to get good value at home.

IHF president Paul Gallagher said hotel rates in Ireland were down by 30 per cent in the last two years, and this constituted “incredible value”, and there was little scope to cut further.

Active Retirement Ireland said the abolition of the supplement for older people, especially during off-peak periods, could result in an increased take-up of bed nights in hotels and guesthouses. There are more than 300,000 people over the age of 55 who are either single, widowed, separated or divorced.

A survey by ARI found that only one out of 25 hotels approached did not charge a single supplement and the average extra cost was €27.

ARI chief executive Maureen Kavanagh said: “While many accommodation providers have started to realise the potential of the ‘silver market’, it remains that the single supplement is a disincentive to customers who do not wish to room share.”

Mr Gallagher said many hotels offer room, rather than person, rates and many are receptive to the idea of single supplements for group bookings.