"Dublin is experiencing an unprecedented level of demand for St Patricks Day and the c.22,000 hotel and guesthouse accommodation rooms across the city are almost totally sold out during this period,” the spokesperson said.

“Visitors staying in hotels on these dates will have booked their accommodation weeks if not months in advance, and these rooms would have been sold at much lower rates than any last minute, last availability rates.

"Understandably the low level of availability of rooms will impact decisions made by visitors, and some people may decide to stay further out from the city centre.

“We would encourage people who have yet to book to also consider contacting hotels directly where there may be better value available than via booking engines."

Many are concerned with the price of hotels in the city, with average room prices soaring in recent months. The Shelbourne Hotel’s average room price increased by 19.4%, while Dalata, owner of Maldron Hotels, saw recorded record annual profits of €500 million in 2022.