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17th Mar 2022

Irish hotels cancel bookings in order to accommodate Ukrainian refugees

Dave Hanratty

Hotels Ireland Ukraine refugees

Over 7,000 Ukrainian citizens have arrived into Ireland since the Russian invasion began.

Some hotels in Ireland are cancelling bookings due to the influx of Ukrainian refugees arriving into the country.

Over 7,000 refugees have arrived into Ireland as of Thursday, 17 March.

According to the Department of Children, 2,589 people who have fled war-torn Ukraine have been successfully placed into accommodation.

As of Wednesday, the United Nations has confirmed that over three million citizens have left Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in late February.

Citing “unprecedented” numbers of people arriving into Ireland, the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) has contracted over 2,500 hotel rooms in recent days.

Additional capacity is also being pursued through avenues such as B&Bs, guest houses, religious properties, private properties and accommodation provided by the general public.

On the subject of hotels, the Irish Independent reports that some Irish hotels have cancelled pre-existing bookings in order to make room for Ukrainian refugees.

According to the report, the Park Inn by Radisson at Shannon Airport has cancelled bookings this weekend in order to provide room for as many as 130 refugees.

The hotel has reportedly been block-booked for three months.

A hotel spokesperson is quoted as saying most people have been understanding as to the reason of their cancellation.

The Irish Hotels Federation has confirmed that a number of hotels have been approached directly with regards to providing accommodation for Ukrainian refugees.

It has also been noted via a Government source that there is an “immediate concern” about running out of emergency hotel accommodation by as early as next week.

Close to 20,000 pledges of public-hosted accommodation have been registered with the Irish Red Cross.

The charity has asked for patience as it engages in a strict vetting process prior to granting accommodation.