Ryder Cup organisers are urging Irish hoteliers to commit to fair room rates ahead of the tournament in Adare Manor in 2027.
At the 2025 IHF Conference in Killarney, Director of Hospitality and Guest Experience at Ryder Cup Europe Alan Evans expressed concerns over ‘surprising’ high rates reported by hoteliers, stressing that it should reflect guest experience.
The last Ryder Cup in Ireland, hosted in Kildare’s K Club in 2006, contributed €143m directly to the economy, alongside additional spending of €240m from visitors.
The Irish government is investing €50m to prepare for the 2027 event, including funds for licensing and operational costs to ensure a successful tournament.
Mr Evans said the exact date for the tournament would be announced in April.
Mr Evans told the conference that the Ryder Cup in Rome generated 318,000 commercial bed nights in paid spectator accommodation during the week of the event, with 1,700 guests per day on sponsor programmes. Beds will be required by 2,000 media, 9,000 staff and 1,500 volunteers.
Staging the event in Adare will require 15km of new roads, and will require 450 buses.
Mr Evans told delegates: “It has surprised us a little just how elevated some of the rates that we are getting. If you are driving a very high rate for your properties, you need to also have one eye on the guest experience as well. It’s a representation of Ireland, and it’s a representation of the event itself.
We will be focusing very heavily on fan experience. Our ticket prices will match ticket prices for major sporting events. They will not be the $750 that they are in New York next year, but they will match what you would expect to pay for a 10-hour event.
“Our message to hotels is if that’s the rate you think you can get, fine. But make sure the experience matches the rate. I know there is a lot of checking of historical rates, but I would caution against that. Rome had 75,000 hotel rooms in the city available in 2023 and drives high rates consistently throughout all 12 months of the year. It’s the same in New York. The Ryder Cup will be taking place at the same week as the UN General Assembly, so the rates in New York are already distorted.
“With Ireland wanting to attract other major sporting events in the future, we can take a lot of learnings and provide constructive feedback based on the process that we have been through to attract further major events in the future.”
“Committed rooms and committed rates are super important to us and we are working with all of our stakeholders to place the right people in the right properties.”
I am very grateful to the IHF and to Fáilte Island for all the help and support they’ve provided us over the last 18 months. For the hotel community, I think we are here to protect you. As I mentioned earlier, we are here to help you overcome some of the challenges, but we do need commitment—commitment on room numbers and rates.
It’s been surprising to see how elevated some of the rates are that we are getting back. I think it’s important for us to place emphasis on the fan and guest experience. We need to keep in mind the experience that people will have when they come to Ireland. We are focusing heavily on the fan experience at the Ryder Cup. Our ticket prices will align with those of major sports events; they won’t be the $750 that they are in New York this year, but they will reflect what people expect to pay for a 10-hour event on-site.
However, if you are driving a very high rate for your properties, you also need to ensure that the guest experience matches that rate. This is not only a representation of Brand Ireland but also of the event itself. Our message is that if you believe you can command a certain rate, then the experience you provide must also be top-notch.
Regarding the past, we know that the Ryder Cup in New York this year follows the one in Rome in 2023. Some are checking historical rates, but I want to offer a word of caution: Rome has 75,000 hotel rooms available year-round and consistently drives a high rate. Similarly, the rates in New York this year are already distorted due to the event coinciding with the UN General Assembly.As Ireland aims to attract other major sports events in the future, we can learn a lot from this process. We need to apply constructive feedback to support rights holders and draw other major events to our country. We want to work together collaboratively. There needs to be a strong collaboration and working relationship between the rights holders, which is us, the host nation representing the government of Ireland, its various agencies, and the hotel community, which is critical to the success of the event.
