Hoteliers have this week rejected as ‘outrageous’, claims by Hotels.com that the average hotel price in Ireland has increased.

Figures from the CSO which are based on a nationally representative sample of prices, show that inflation in accommodation services was at 0% for the twelve months to June 2013 and was in fact down at -1.1% for the twelve months to July 2013.

According to Michael Vaughan of Irish Hotels Federation, the figures used for the Hotels.com survey are based on a very limited share of Irish hotels online sales and the sample size is only reflective of accommodation available on the Hotels.com website.

“It is too small to be representative of the 60,000 hotel and guesthouse rooms available for sale every day in Ireland,” he said and called the claims ‘irresponsible and misleading’.

“The fact that prices on Hotels.com are higher is in no way reflective of the excellent value that is available in the market. This is nothing other than a cheap shot at publicity on the back of hotels that are doing their best to get their industry back on an even keel.”

The Irish Hotels Federation also questions the validity of data published in relation to individual towns and counties across the country. Mr Vaughan states that Hotels.com has limited access to hotel booking information to draw conclusions about accommodation prices other than those bednights sold on its website. He states that there is excellent value on offer by Irish hotels and guesthouses and that people should shop around.