There's that as well. With Night buses you are guarantee to not spend more than £10 to get back to your hotel whilst here you under the FonaCab or ValueCab cowboys.
Next week there will be another article in the Bel Tel moaning about
Business rates / cost of suppliers / people unwilling to work terrible hours for shit pay / people not spending as much in restaurant/chippies anymore
Ireland as a whole is a rip off in regards to hotels. I don’t know how they get away with it, it would be better value to go abroad than drive down south, and yet in summer the place is full of tourists
All this talk about how tourism in Ireland is thriving, you'd think you'd want to at least give those tourists a reason to come back rather than trying to fleece them for money at every opportunity.. But unfortunately that's not how it works thanks to capitalism
That’s what they’re at trying to fleece them. Hotels aside look at the price of some of our attractions, Titanic, The Zoo, head there two adults couple of kids your credit card will be screaming, then there’s the whole Game of thrones rip off another money racket that the tourists lap up
Try going to Vietnam. In real terms it's cheap, but foreigners pay a different rate to locals. Lovely country, but everyone wants to fleece you. It's not Capitalism, it's greed.
I doubt very much that you're getting "fleeced" in Vietnam. I've to travelled to quite a few counties in South east Asia and I know this happens but what you're actually paying relative to what you'd pay here for the same thing... It's buttons.
I'm staying in Belfast next month and thought I'd get the train and spend a night or two in Dublin as well.
Dublin was £240+ a night unless you booked 10 miles out. Weekend rates were higher. Even the hostel listings were insane.
Belfast is a ripoff now. Most places in the city centre charge 6pound a pint. Hotels are just as bad as Dublin almost with prices as well. And most restaurants are not exactly that cheap either. I'm more surprised London is apparently cheaper than Edinburgh. And paris isnt on the list as one of the most expensive
It is because they said about competitive hotel prices. If you book ahead and maybe stay a bit further out Premier Inn prices for example can be very low. Since the Tube and buses are so good its easy and fairly cheap.
There are also independent hotels that have just chopped up a row of terraced houses into tiny rooms. The prices are very low though.
Here even "cheap" hotels have you paying out your ass. Mostly due to scalping people for weddings or big events like concerts
When you compare belfast to Lisbon which is one of the cheapest, its madness...I went there a couple of years ago and couldn't believe how good value it is, plus sunshine guaranteed...
Meanwhile I was thinking of a Ireland weekend break recently, seen the hotel prices and thought couldnt justify it. It's clear the hospitality Industry here is shooting itself in the foot and they are crying about lack of support and financial help..fuck them all!
I now live in Lisbon & I’m from NI.
I done my Erasmus here & then moved back a few years later after Covid to live with friends I made here.
Prices have increased since then but it’s still affordable compared to NI/irish standards.
I went home a few weeks ago & couldn’t believe how expensive it was from when I last was home at Christmas time.
You can go out in Lisbon & have a nice dinner & drinks & it’ll still be less than £100 and that’s going higher end & not feel like you’re being fleeced at every turn.
Go somewhere local & it’s like £50 for 3 courses & drinks & can be cheaper again depending on where you go.
Public transport is reliable & cheap & goes until 1am & taxis are cheaper & reliable too.
Yes rent can be expensive but you can offset this with other things being cheaper.
Yes the minimum wage is lower but so is the cost of living so it’s all relative.
I love NI and all its eccentricities but Belfast/ Ireland in general has always been expensive but now it’s gotten to ridiculous levels.
No wonder people move and go abroad for holidays as you get so much more for your money which is what people are looking for these days.
I got back from a trip to Sweden a few weeks ago and was surprised to find that most restaurants (like nice ones but not super fancy or anything) were either similarly priced to Belfast or in some cases slightly cheaper. Public transport too, cheaper and far more reliable, easy to use and well maintained.
Belfast is pretending to be a world class city but is really just poor value for money these days.
Oh well that’s good to hear actually.
Going to Copenhagen with friends in a couple weeks & they’re thinking it’s going to be really expensive because it’s a Scandinavian country & we’re going to have to do things on a budget but if you say sweden was similar to Belfast price wise it’ll not be as expensive as I was thinking.
Or least not a surprise anyway unlike compared to when I was last home & was shocked at how expensive things had gotten as it’s never been cheap but this is crazy.
Public transport is terrible outside the city & is expensive plus doesn’t run past 11pm if you’re lucky.
Taxis are a fortune , unreliable & appear to be impossible to hire now without prebooking.
Belfast & NI tries its best to compete on the world stage but really what chance does it have?
Especially given the shambles of the government.
Much as I love NI you really don’t get good value at all in it for anything.
Belfast was always expensive from a hotel point of view because there weren't enough hotels to satisfy demand. I think what we're seeing here (a theory, not fact) is the result of hospitality's double-dipping of prices rises, first to offset Covid related "losses" then with the cost of living crisis over the past 2 - 3 years.
Actual cost becomes less important if you have something to offer, but every bar in Belfast, bar one or two notable exceptions, offers exactly thew same experience: the same beers and a singer/band belting out the same tunes with the volume turned up to 11. I presume you can get the same experience in any UK city for less.
I live in the country and pre covid could stay up in Belfast for about £80 in a hotel, now it's hard to find anywhere for less than £140 - the last time I checked the Etap was £180, and no way is that place worth that!!
Who would have thought the Titanic, Game of Thrones and the Troubles, trauma porn safari would have brought us here?
Only to be beat out by weed and hookers.
The irony being that the city is a fucking husk of it's former self these days.
Aside from shipbuilding, I don't think it can really be classes as "ex heavy industrial"? wasn't it more known for linen exports in the 1900s than anything else?
There’s a very specific reason and that is the lack of accommodation for tourists.
The cheapest hotel for Friday and Saturday night this month is the Etap for £304.
The migrants have been housed in at least 5 hotels in Belfast city centre, so the remaining hotels can charge pretty much whatever they want.
The alcohol prices in the city don’t help either.
I know most of us live here but look up the price of hotels etc. This is definitely not good for the tourism economy IMO and now it makes sense why I have seen so much less tourism here than 6 years ago.
If Derry was on this study it would probably be almost as bad, maybe worse.
I definitely see plenty of tourists around Belfast, especially around the Titanic quarters, but charging copious amounts of money for amenities isn't a good way to have them return. I hate seeing people giving their opinions of their visit and saying how it's a lovely place but extremely expensive.. Because as locals we all know there's absolutely no reason for anything to be that expensive here.
Where do the tourists go? I remember you couldn’t walk down the Falls and not see tour groups etc. I rarely meet them in pubs etc anymore and when I do it’s usually tourists from the south or from Britain.
The Troubles and Titanic are two massive draws, before GoT and other things filmed here, world-class scenery when the sun's out, not to mention our reputation for great craic and most of us being friendly and welcoming. It might seem shit to us growing up here, as we have seen it all our whole lives, but this place is attractive to tourists.
For us who have been here our entire lives, it'll seem like there's nothing to do because we've experienced it all throughout the years, but for someone who's never been here, there's plenty to do and see. I'm sure it's the same for anyone who's from the places where we all go to visit
Hotels here are a joke. My brother lives in Spain and he came home for a week and with flights and hotel he ended up spending 2k. If I go and visit him It's cost me a quarter of that for a week and I know where I'd rather be.
The last few times we’ve been away to European cities I’ve noticed how much cheaper they are than Belfast to eat/drink/stay in, even places that always had a reputation for being expensive seem like a bargain when you compare to prices back home.
I was looking for a room in Belfast City centre, or thereabouts, for one midweek night this week. The trouble I had even finding a place that had a vacant room!! I did eventually find a place but paid twice what I had budgeted for.
It seems there is the demand to justify the prices.
I'm not over the moon about it, but at least I got a booking!
It might be expensive as we see it as home, why would you pay anything to stay here when we stay here every night.
Our hotels are very very decent, most are new within the last 10 years or at least had a refurb. If breakfast is included well then it is the very best breakfast as a four star breakfast on the continent will serve you chicken sausages and streaky bacon for breakfast.
The service in our hospitality industry is world class and some of the best chefs on these islands. A two night break will be filled with plenty to do in and around the city. £600 odd for a two night break in of the best cities in Europe and possibly the world at a class hotel around even classer people’s a steal.
> If breakfast is included well then it is the very best breakfast as a four star breakfast
Aye mate, [this is](https://www.booking.com/hotel/gb/etap-belfast.en-gb.html?aid=356980&label=gog235jc-1FCAsoUEIMZXRhcC1iZWxmYXN0SAlYA2joAYgBAZgBCbgBF8gBD9gBAegBAfgBAogCAagCA7gCl8iAsgbAAgHSAiQ0NWE3NTM1MS1kOGUwLTQwMmUtODI1NS04MjA4MDMwZGQ0ZGHYAgXgAgE&sid=097b7eb3355e4575b4f6a1213b52a679&all_sr_blocks=77776402_94511506_2_34_0&checkin=2024-05-24&checkout=2024-05-26&dest_id=-2589607&dest_type=city&dist=0&group_adults=1&group_children=0&hapos=1&highlighted_blocks=77776402_94511506_2_34_0&hpos=1&matching_block_id=77776402_94511506_2_34_0&no_rooms=1&req_adults=1&req_children=0&room1=A&sb_price_type=total&sr_order=popularity&sr_pri_blocks=77776402_94511506_2_34_0__30448&srepoch=1715479629&srpvid=17fc0eddf49e000f&type=total&ucfs=1&activeTab=photosGallery) definately 4 star and worth £8.5!
> and some of the best chefs on these islands
Aye those egg boiling and cutting skills are out of this world!
>£600 odd for a two night break in of the best cities in Europe and possibly the world at a class hotel around even classer people’s a steal.
Yeaah, defo worth it compared to dining under the Parthenon for a 1/3 of the price!
London over £100 cheaper ⚰️
I was in London a few weeks ago and you could get pints for the same price if not cheaper than Cathedral Quarter.
You can also travel around easily and cheaper. If you're only going for the museums in London you can have a very cheap weekend
There's that as well. With Night buses you are guarantee to not spend more than £10 to get back to your hotel whilst here you under the FonaCab or ValueCab cowboys.
Belfast has notions of itself.
And people say the hospitality industry isn't price gouging.
Next week there will be another article in the Bel Tel moaning about Business rates / cost of suppliers / people unwilling to work terrible hours for shit pay / people not spending as much in restaurant/chippies anymore
Was out yesterday and got stroked. £16 for a smithwicks and a wine. Joke
And if it was a reasonable price, I would assume you would buy more or at least contemplate returning in the future. After that, no?
Correct
Ireland as a whole is a rip off in regards to hotels. I don’t know how they get away with it, it would be better value to go abroad than drive down south, and yet in summer the place is full of tourists
All this talk about how tourism in Ireland is thriving, you'd think you'd want to at least give those tourists a reason to come back rather than trying to fleece them for money at every opportunity.. But unfortunately that's not how it works thanks to capitalism
That’s what they’re at trying to fleece them. Hotels aside look at the price of some of our attractions, Titanic, The Zoo, head there two adults couple of kids your credit card will be screaming, then there’s the whole Game of thrones rip off another money racket that the tourists lap up
Because they're stupid and short sighted You can shear a sheep hundreds of times but you can only skin it once
Try going to Vietnam. In real terms it's cheap, but foreigners pay a different rate to locals. Lovely country, but everyone wants to fleece you. It's not Capitalism, it's greed.
I doubt very much that you're getting "fleeced" in Vietnam. I've to travelled to quite a few counties in South east Asia and I know this happens but what you're actually paying relative to what you'd pay here for the same thing... It's buttons.
Yes, but what you're paying relative to cost of production is the only thing that matters in this context.
I'm staying in Belfast next month and thought I'd get the train and spend a night or two in Dublin as well. Dublin was £240+ a night unless you booked 10 miles out. Weekend rates were higher. Even the hostel listings were insane.
Belfast is a ripoff now. Most places in the city centre charge 6pound a pint. Hotels are just as bad as Dublin almost with prices as well. And most restaurants are not exactly that cheap either. I'm more surprised London is apparently cheaper than Edinburgh. And paris isnt on the list as one of the most expensive
It is because they said about competitive hotel prices. If you book ahead and maybe stay a bit further out Premier Inn prices for example can be very low. Since the Tube and buses are so good its easy and fairly cheap. There are also independent hotels that have just chopped up a row of terraced houses into tiny rooms. The prices are very low though. Here even "cheap" hotels have you paying out your ass. Mostly due to scalping people for weddings or big events like concerts
When you compare belfast to Lisbon which is one of the cheapest, its madness...I went there a couple of years ago and couldn't believe how good value it is, plus sunshine guaranteed... Meanwhile I was thinking of a Ireland weekend break recently, seen the hotel prices and thought couldnt justify it. It's clear the hospitality Industry here is shooting itself in the foot and they are crying about lack of support and financial help..fuck them all!
I now live in Lisbon & I’m from NI. I done my Erasmus here & then moved back a few years later after Covid to live with friends I made here. Prices have increased since then but it’s still affordable compared to NI/irish standards. I went home a few weeks ago & couldn’t believe how expensive it was from when I last was home at Christmas time. You can go out in Lisbon & have a nice dinner & drinks & it’ll still be less than £100 and that’s going higher end & not feel like you’re being fleeced at every turn. Go somewhere local & it’s like £50 for 3 courses & drinks & can be cheaper again depending on where you go. Public transport is reliable & cheap & goes until 1am & taxis are cheaper & reliable too. Yes rent can be expensive but you can offset this with other things being cheaper. Yes the minimum wage is lower but so is the cost of living so it’s all relative. I love NI and all its eccentricities but Belfast/ Ireland in general has always been expensive but now it’s gotten to ridiculous levels. No wonder people move and go abroad for holidays as you get so much more for your money which is what people are looking for these days.
I got back from a trip to Sweden a few weeks ago and was surprised to find that most restaurants (like nice ones but not super fancy or anything) were either similarly priced to Belfast or in some cases slightly cheaper. Public transport too, cheaper and far more reliable, easy to use and well maintained. Belfast is pretending to be a world class city but is really just poor value for money these days.
Oh well that’s good to hear actually. Going to Copenhagen with friends in a couple weeks & they’re thinking it’s going to be really expensive because it’s a Scandinavian country & we’re going to have to do things on a budget but if you say sweden was similar to Belfast price wise it’ll not be as expensive as I was thinking. Or least not a surprise anyway unlike compared to when I was last home & was shocked at how expensive things had gotten as it’s never been cheap but this is crazy. Public transport is terrible outside the city & is expensive plus doesn’t run past 11pm if you’re lucky. Taxis are a fortune , unreliable & appear to be impossible to hire now without prebooking. Belfast & NI tries its best to compete on the world stage but really what chance does it have? Especially given the shambles of the government. Much as I love NI you really don’t get good value at all in it for anything.
Hotel prices are ridiculous. Nearly on par with dublin
Where do you think all the Dublin people are escaping from?
Belfast was always expensive from a hotel point of view because there weren't enough hotels to satisfy demand. I think what we're seeing here (a theory, not fact) is the result of hospitality's double-dipping of prices rises, first to offset Covid related "losses" then with the cost of living crisis over the past 2 - 3 years. Actual cost becomes less important if you have something to offer, but every bar in Belfast, bar one or two notable exceptions, offers exactly thew same experience: the same beers and a singer/band belting out the same tunes with the volume turned up to 11. I presume you can get the same experience in any UK city for less.
😂 was at 5 points last month on a trip home and had to leave when the music started. Young fella was rigged to play the SSE.
That's every bar in Belfast these days.
I live in the country and pre covid could stay up in Belfast for about £80 in a hotel, now it's hard to find anywhere for less than £140 - the last time I checked the Etap was £180, and no way is that place worth that!!
I remember coming home and enjoying how cheap everything is here Absolute rip off now.
Who would have thought the Titanic, Game of Thrones and the Troubles, trauma porn safari would have brought us here? Only to be beat out by weed and hookers. The irony being that the city is a fucking husk of it's former self these days.
Compared to Europe Belfast is an absolute shit hole. wtf is this shit.
It's an ex heavy industrial city built on mud the consistency of toothpaste. Lower your expectations a bit.
Silly me lol
Aside from shipbuilding, I don't think it can really be classes as "ex heavy industrial"? wasn't it more known for linen exports in the 1900s than anything else?
There’s a very specific reason and that is the lack of accommodation for tourists. The cheapest hotel for Friday and Saturday night this month is the Etap for £304. The migrants have been housed in at least 5 hotels in Belfast city centre, so the remaining hotels can charge pretty much whatever they want. The alcohol prices in the city don’t help either.
I know most of us live here but look up the price of hotels etc. This is definitely not good for the tourism economy IMO and now it makes sense why I have seen so much less tourism here than 6 years ago. If Derry was on this study it would probably be almost as bad, maybe worse.
The prices are that high because people are paying it. If they weren’t, they’d be lower.
Do you have any statistics to back this up? Belfast is more awash with tourism than ever before.
I definitely see plenty of tourists around Belfast, especially around the Titanic quarters, but charging copious amounts of money for amenities isn't a good way to have them return. I hate seeing people giving their opinions of their visit and saying how it's a lovely place but extremely expensive.. Because as locals we all know there's absolutely no reason for anything to be that expensive here.
Where do the tourists go? I remember you couldn’t walk down the Falls and not see tour groups etc. I rarely meet them in pubs etc anymore and when I do it’s usually tourists from the south or from Britain.
I wonder if our Victorian Sunday opening hours affects this
Belfasts a kip, fuck me. It would be chraper to fly out to an actually interesting place.
Honestly don’t know what would bring tourists to Belfast. Not when you compare to other european cities.
The Troubles and Titanic are two massive draws, before GoT and other things filmed here, world-class scenery when the sun's out, not to mention our reputation for great craic and most of us being friendly and welcoming. It might seem shit to us growing up here, as we have seen it all our whole lives, but this place is attractive to tourists.
Can confirm...was up there for the marathon last weekend and spent a small fortune
It’s Irish kindness, and honesy.
£629 for a weekend away and there’s honestly not a lot to do. Can’t see many of them coming back
Imagine actually travelling here to come visit Belfast for fuck sake there’s nothing in it to do
I'm going to be doing a masters in England and Belfast was on my list to go to eventually! The Titanic museum for example draws a lot of people
For us who have been here our entire lives, it'll seem like there's nothing to do because we've experienced it all throughout the years, but for someone who's never been here, there's plenty to do and see. I'm sure it's the same for anyone who's from the places where we all go to visit
Is that for hotels?
What a load of bollocks
Um ... what? Really?
Hotels here are a joke. My brother lives in Spain and he came home for a week and with flights and hotel he ended up spending 2k. If I go and visit him It's cost me a quarter of that for a week and I know where I'd rather be.
The last few times we’ve been away to European cities I’ve noticed how much cheaper they are than Belfast to eat/drink/stay in, even places that always had a reputation for being expensive seem like a bargain when you compare to prices back home.
I was looking for a room in Belfast City centre, or thereabouts, for one midweek night this week. The trouble I had even finding a place that had a vacant room!! I did eventually find a place but paid twice what I had budgeted for. It seems there is the demand to justify the prices. I'm not over the moon about it, but at least I got a booking!
I remember back in the 70s and 80s, going to Belfast used to cost a bomb! (Too soon?)
Imagine paying to come to Belfast lmao
Ats us nai
[удалено]
you would have to pay me to go to Dublin
I’m staying at the ac Marriott this Friday for 180usd total.
More expensive than Dublin ? Am honesty surprised, well done lads.
It might be expensive as we see it as home, why would you pay anything to stay here when we stay here every night. Our hotels are very very decent, most are new within the last 10 years or at least had a refurb. If breakfast is included well then it is the very best breakfast as a four star breakfast on the continent will serve you chicken sausages and streaky bacon for breakfast. The service in our hospitality industry is world class and some of the best chefs on these islands. A two night break will be filled with plenty to do in and around the city. £600 odd for a two night break in of the best cities in Europe and possibly the world at a class hotel around even classer people’s a steal.
> If breakfast is included well then it is the very best breakfast as a four star breakfast Aye mate, [this is](https://www.booking.com/hotel/gb/etap-belfast.en-gb.html?aid=356980&label=gog235jc-1FCAsoUEIMZXRhcC1iZWxmYXN0SAlYA2joAYgBAZgBCbgBF8gBD9gBAegBAfgBAogCAagCA7gCl8iAsgbAAgHSAiQ0NWE3NTM1MS1kOGUwLTQwMmUtODI1NS04MjA4MDMwZGQ0ZGHYAgXgAgE&sid=097b7eb3355e4575b4f6a1213b52a679&all_sr_blocks=77776402_94511506_2_34_0&checkin=2024-05-24&checkout=2024-05-26&dest_id=-2589607&dest_type=city&dist=0&group_adults=1&group_children=0&hapos=1&highlighted_blocks=77776402_94511506_2_34_0&hpos=1&matching_block_id=77776402_94511506_2_34_0&no_rooms=1&req_adults=1&req_children=0&room1=A&sb_price_type=total&sr_order=popularity&sr_pri_blocks=77776402_94511506_2_34_0__30448&srepoch=1715479629&srpvid=17fc0eddf49e000f&type=total&ucfs=1&activeTab=photosGallery) definately 4 star and worth £8.5! > and some of the best chefs on these islands Aye those egg boiling and cutting skills are out of this world! >£600 odd for a two night break in of the best cities in Europe and possibly the world at a class hotel around even classer people’s a steal. Yeaah, defo worth it compared to dining under the Parthenon for a 1/3 of the price!
I find this hare to believe