Deals galore as hotels here embark on marketing blitz

NORTHERN Ireland’s hotels reopen today and will be doing battle with their rivals in the Republic. It is the year of the staycation and hotels on both sides of the border are offering enticing prices.

But there is a conundrum for the revenue managers who have to develop those “too good to miss” deals. There is concern about pitching prices too low — and hope that occupancy rates of around 4% in Belfast so far for July will improve once venues open.

Hotels are also on a marketing blitz in the Republic through print advertising, and Google and Facebook, to draw the large numbers of residents there who have never crossed the border on holiday. And the reverse is also true as hotels in the Republic cut their prices to entice us.

You can have a Sunday and Monday night stay in July in a budget hotel in Belfast city centre for £20 per person per night in a double room (Ibis Belfast city centre, recently named best budget hotel in Ireland).

And in Dublin city centre, you can have a two-night stay in a Jury’s Inn for around £35 per person in a double room, not including breakfast.

Irish luxury hotel group Harcourt is offering a four night Northern Escape package staying at both its Titanic Belfast and Lough Eske hotels in Donegal for €699 per couple midweek — working out at around £159 for two per night.

And at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in south Belfast, a family of four is offered a deal at around £119 per night for bed and breakfast.

John Mcgrillen, chief executive of Tourism NI, said the competition between north and south had heightened as there are no visitors coming from overseas.

He said: “From our perspective it’s about convincing people to take a break at home. Nearly three million overseas visitors come to Northern Ireland every year.

“There are things on our doorstep that they come to see so we want to encourage local people to come out to see them.”

And the push to attract visitors from the Republic was greater than ever with Tourism NI helping venues fund their marketing campaigns. “From 2016 to the end of 2018, visitors from the south accounted for 12% of all trips and 11% of all tourism spend, so there’s still significant room to grow. We’d like to see those figures double over the next five years.”

Northern Ireland Hotels Federation (NIHF) chief executive Janice Gault said hotels had added costs after closure.

“Hotels will be good value but there needs to be an understanding of the considerable additional costs that businesses are bearing and will continue to incur, as measures to reduce the risk of the spread of the virus are put in place.

“After an extended period of closure, during which reserves have been all but depleted, it is important that the industry returns in a sustainable manner.”

Economist Andrew Webb of Grant Thornton warned that people could be reluctant to go on holiday, even locally, due to concerns over contracting Covid-19

and their finances due to a precarious time in the economy. He said: “All in all, the hope will be that there is a surge in demand from staycationers as a way of helping offset the loss of external visitors, but there is a very uncertain context that is blurring the picture at the moment.”

Rajesh Rana, director of Anras House hotels group, which owns venues in Belfast including the city centre Ibis and the Crowne Plaza, said it is on its biggest ever drive for the Northern Ireland and southern market though it can’t offset the loss of international travellers. But after months of lockdown, people need a change of scenery.

“They want the novelty of goshe ing somewhere where people bring you food and drink and the bed is made for you.”

Bridgene Mckeever, director of Mckeever Hotels, said it had chosen to run just one major offer — 30% off an overnight stay at its Dunadry Hotel and Gardens in Antrim, including dinner and bed and breakfast.

She warned: “There is pressure in the industry at the minute as everyone scrambles for the staycation business but if you are losing money on every room sold you are effectively making a bad situation worse in the long term.”

Julie Hastings, marketing director of Hastings Hotels, which has six hotels in Northern Ireland, said: “In comparison to hotels in the Republic, Northern Ireland certainly offers better value which therefore means you can enjoy a longer break for your money.

“At Hastings Hotels, we have a wide selection of offers over the summer period.

“For example Ballygally Castle on the stunning Causeway coastal route starts from just £60pps room only or £70pps B&B.

“We are offering price incentives for those choosing to stay longer than one night and many guests are choosing to avail of this — for example guests can enjoy an overnight B&B in the Grand Central Hotel in Belfast from £75pps and if you stay for 2+ nights you will get £10 off per day or stay for 4+ nights and you will get £20 off per day.”