Hotels Cut Prices Ahead of Pope’s Visit

Remember when the pope’s visit was first announced? There was a run on hotel rooms, and much was made of the fact that the Philadelphia area simply did not have enough rooms to accommodate the millions of pilgrims expected to throng Center City on a mission to see the pontiff. Prices soared, and hotels instituted minimum stay requirements, all in the name of wringing every spare cent out of those who would need a place to stay.

As Philadelphia prepares for the pope’s visit, there are many hotel rooms still available.

Now everything has changed. With less than two weeks to go until Pope Francis shows up, hotels are having to face a reality they’ve ignored for too long – rooms are sitting vacant, probably because the going price is simply too high. Experts say that both hotel owners and vacation stay landlords may have misunderstood the intentions of those coming to see the pope. As many view this as a religious pilgrimage of great significance and not a luxury vacation, they are willing to be thrifty about where they stay. There are many Francis visitors lodging on the floors of fitness centers and camping in the park, but apparently not as many with the ability or desire to blow three figures a night on a fancy hotel room. With that fact in mind, hotels with vacancies are slashing their prices and even offering extra goodies to entice those who want to see the pope but maybe don’t have a place yet to stay.

ABC News found rooms available at a mnimum of four hotel rooms close to downtown. The Marriott near City Hall is currently going for $195 a night, a savings of $125 from July when it seemed like demand was much higher.

Some say that the late availability of hotel rooms is an indicator that there won’t be as many attendees at the papal events as once thought. Early estimates had between 1 and 1.5 million people showing up for the public events on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. It remains to be seen how many will actually show up.