RTÉ set to run up €960,000 hotel bill over four years for contributors and celebrity guests

RTÉ is set to spend up to €960,000 over four years on five- and four-star hotels around Dublin to accommodate celebrities and other contributors.However, the broadcaster’s guests will have to pay for extras, with the tender stating that no alcoholic drinks, bar items or additional services are to be charged to RTÉ by the hotels.According to a tender published on Friday, RTÉ has a varying requirement for hotel services from conference room facilities to celebrity and contributor accommodation. The tender states that RTÉ “would like to create a framework with a limited number of hotel groups or individual hotels to deliver these services on a value-for-money basis”.READ MORERTÉ had 1,318 hotel bookings in 2025 under the existing framework, the tender states. This figure can fluctuate annually and is not an indication of booking numbers. A spokeswoman for RTÉ said that €960,000 is the estimated maximum for the four-year period.The tender states that the contract duration is for an initial term of one year with the option to extend for another year on no more than three occasions, a maximum of four years in total.The RTÉ spokeswoman said: “As a public service media organisation with a large number of guests travelling to appear on our television and radio programmes, often at short notice, and with an RTÉ Concert Orchestra that performs frequently in Dublin city centre venues, RTÉ has an ongoing need to secure hotel rooms.” [ RTÉ’s new Listen app tells us some things about its future direction but keeps others hiddenOpens in new window ]She said that through this public tender, for four- and five-star hotels, “RTÉ will secure competitive rates for hotel rooms from a panel of hotels”.The spokeswoman said a key principle of public procurement is that public bodies must demonstrate value for money, transparency, equal treatment and competition where appropriate. She said that “all spend on hotel rooms is necessary to support RTÉ programming, live performances and events and is carefully negotiated to ensure value for money”. The spokeswoman said “RTÉ also negotiates special rates with two-star and three-star hotels, particularly for occasions where hotel rooms are required by RTÉ staff due to work commitments”.RTÉ is seeking tenders for the new framework as the current one expires at the end of this year.[ The 2 Johnnies Late Night Lock In review: A turkey with all the trimmings. End this craic attackOpens in new window ]The RTÉ spokeswoman said that for the current framework 13 parties tendered and seven were appointed.The closing date for the submission of tenders for the new framework is November 4th.