Hotel Chains “Gouging & Scalping” Patients and Families – Longford MEP Mullooly

Longford MEP, Ciaran Mullooly, has condemned what he referred to as the "gouging and scalping" of patients and their families by large scale hotel chains situated near hospitals nationwide.

The Midlands North-West Independent pointed out that if hotels want VAT reductions, they must first “guarantee fair rates for patients, carers, and visitors.”

He added, “These are not tourists on holiday - these are patients and carers with no choice but to stay overnight! Illness is not a festival and cancer care is not a concert ticket. Dublin hotel prices these days can reach between €350-€1,000 a night during peak events, damaging Ireland’s tourism reputation and such high accommodation costs are driving visitor numbers down.”

“If hotels want VAT cuts, they must first guarantee fair rates for patients, carers and visitors. Without those protections, there is no case for subsidy.”

While stressing that smaller hotel chains are not the main offenders, Mullooly said it was outrageous that families travelling for treatment were faced with the prospect of being asked to pay over €450 a night at large international chain hotels near Beaumont Hospital and the Santry Clinic.

With many in the Irish hospitality sector lobbying for a return to the 9% VAT rate, Mullooly pointed out that “the Revenue Commissioners are well able to differentiate between large chains and smaller family-run hotels, and that patients should “not be punished to prop up multinational profits.”

Mullooly added that while the European Union had already taken action against unfair practices in the online booking sector, that same level of scrutiny “now needs to apply to hotel room pricing itself.”