DESPITE on-going reports of doom and gloom in the hotel industry and claims that people holidaying in Ireland can pick up plenty of bargains, a Sunday Tribune survey has found that haggling for price reductions will not get you very far.

The Irish Hotels Federation said last week that between 60 and 70 hotels across the country will have to close because too many hotels are vying for too little business. However, most hotels seem to be unwilling to drop their prices and offer extras for booking rooms next weekend.

The five-star Ritz Carlton in Powerscourt has been in the news because of a dispute with Wicklow County Council over an unpaid €600,000 rates bill. The hotel claims that it cannot afford to pay the bill but it has no rooms available next Friday and a family room costs €300 with breakfast included for two adults but with a €15 charge for each child.

In order to tempt punters through its doors, a €75 voucher to be spent in the hotel was included but there was no negotiating the room rate.

The equally luxurious Four Seasons in Donnybrook was offering a standard double room with a king-size bed with breakfast included for a rate of €225 per night. It said that the room had already been discounted so that was the best price it could do. The woman on the bookings line said the hotel was quite busy so there were no more promotional prices available.

The Shelbourne hotel on St Stephen's Green in Dublin quoted €209 bed and breakfast for next Friday and would not negotiate on the price because the rate had previously been €289.

The Conrad Hilton did not have rooms available on Friday but a room on Saturday night was offered for €189 with no room for haggling.

The man working on the reservations line was American and initially quoted in dollars but quickly realised his mistake and reverted to euro.

The same room was available on the hotel's website for €10 cheaper.

The four-star Burlington hotel in Ballsbridge quoted €149 for a double room. It only had one special available. If you booked three nights at the rate of €168 per night you would get a 30% discount on the total cost, but you would have to prepay to secure the booking. Other than that, there was no shift in the price for a haggler.

In Co Cork, the four-star Silversprings hotel, on the outskirts of the city, offered a double room with breakfast and an evening meal for €59 per person sharing with full use of the leisure centre for the stay.

Over in Wexford the four-star Talbot hotel in Wexford town didn't offer extra reductions but said it had just dropped the price for a double room with breakfast from €160 to €90. Depending on how flexible the dates were, the Sunday Tribune was offered a rate of €130 to include dinner for two.

The four-star Radisson Blu in Co Clare quoted €145 for bed and breakfast for the Saturday night as it was booked out on the Friday. It couldn't reduce the price but offered a two-night deal with one evening meal for €125 per night for two people. And the family could stay for one night b&b for €129.

In Connemara, the four-star Connemara Coast hotel offered a great rate of €235 for a family room for two nights with one dinner or just €200 for the same deal for a couple sharing.

In Kilkenny city, the Kilkenny River Court offered a double room for €180 bed and breakfast. Midweek for two nights was €129 per person sharing per night including breakfasts and an evening meal. If you were arriving on a Sunday in September the price for two nights' B&B and one evening meal would drop to €109 per person.

And if you are looking for a trip further north then the four-star Mill Park hotel in Donegal town is offering a double room with breakfast for €158.

A more expensive quote of €178 was given on the internet from a general hotel booking service for the same room which shows that you are better making that call, as well as shopping around the web, before handing out your cash.

Other hotels that were prepared to haggle for business included the four-star Morrison hotel in Dublin city centre. It dropped its price for a Friday-night room-only rate from €135 to €110 with very little persuasion.

In the Clare Inn in Co Clare, the Sunday Tribune managed to get the price of a family room for two nights with breakfast and one evening meal for four cut down from €279 to €252.

On the Naas Road in Dublin, Moran's Red Cow Hotel offered a quote of €109 for a family room for four including breakfast for everyone, dropping the price from €119. For two, it was willing to drop the price of a double room to €79 for bed and breakfast for two and just €118 would have included a three-course meal.

Up the road, the Bewleys hotel was quoting €59 for a double 'room only' deal and it appears that this is the price for all the Bewleys hotels in Dublin, including Dublin airport. Breakfast was for an extra €10 per person.