HOTEL & RESTAURANT SECTOR

Hotel occupancy fell to 42% in July, according to IHF

www.rte.ie – 31.07.2020

The latest industry survey conducted by the Irish Hotels Federation reveals that average room occupancy stood at 42% for July, compared with occupancy levels of over 90% for the same month last year. The IHF said this is the largest year-on-year drop ever recorded by the Irish hotels sector for the peak summer season. The data shows that bookings for August have also plummeted to levels broadly in line with those in July, while bookings for September show a further dramatic drop in occupancy levels to 24% nationally. Occupancy rates were lowest in Dublin City and county this month at 17%.

Camile Thai's Like-For Like Sales in Ireland Increase 6%

www.hospitalityireland.com - 17.08.2020

Camile Thai's like-for-like sales in Ireland increased 6% during the first half of 2020, while its sales in London rose 35%. Camile Thai expects its turnover to amount to €30 million this year. Having a lot of outlets in suburban locations and prioritising home delivery over dining-in have been beneficial to the company during the coronavirus pandemic. According to Camile Thai founder Brody Sweeney, "We're managing the business quite well [during the COVID-19 crisis], but the fact that we picked a model that was home delivery and suburban-based, that's just luck."