• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026

2

Current price of silver as of Monday, June 15, 2026

3

Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI

1

Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026

2

Current price of silver as of Monday, June 15, 2026

3

Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
Pope Francis

Pope’s visit isn’t the miracle that hotel owners had prayed for

By
Michal Addady
Michal Addady
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Michal Addady
Michal Addady
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 20, 2015, 7:42 PM ET
Pope Francis waves as he arrives to lead his Wednesday general audience in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican
Pope Francis waves as he arrives to lead his Wednesday general audience in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, September 9, 2015. REUTERS/Max Rossi - RTS911Photograph by Max Rossi — Reuters
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

The Pope’s visit later this week isn’t turning out to be the big payday that hotel owners had hoped for.

A quarter of Philadelphia’s 11,200 hotel rooms are still vacant during the Pope’s visit there, according to Delaware Online. Hotel operators there have been cutting prices, forgoing minimum stay requirements, and offering extras like subway tokens and even Philadelphia-themed snacks, the New York Times reports.

Philadelphia is expecting 1 million people to attend the Festival and Families and 1.5 million people to attend the Papal Mass, according to Philly.com. However, hotel vacancies could be a sign that those predictions are off.

Surrounding areas expected some tourism overflow from the cities, but that’s not the case. One hotel even lowered rates to just $10 per night and still saw no increase in reservations. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter told the Times that he’s expecting many people to make late decisions about attending and that it hopefully translate into more last minute hotel bookings in the city.

One hotel in Washington, D.C., which the Pope is also visiting, has said that its bookings are up 20% from normal. Many hotels, particularly those closer to the action, are fully booked for Wednesday night, when the Pope will be in town. This is especially good news considering that just two weeks before the pope’s visit only 83% of the city’s hotel rooms were booked, the Washington Post writes. Although it seems like a high occupancy rate, Elliott Ferguson, the president of Destination D.C., a non-profit that handles the city’s tourism marketing, has said that it is normal for this time of the year, regardless of whether the Pope is visiting.

Hotels may be seeing some competition from online home rental service Airbnb. The Washington Post says that the company has booked 3,600 guests during the Pope’s stay in Washington, with 2,300 listings still available.

The pope himself will be staying on church properties.

For more about hotels, watch this Fortune video:

About the Author
By Michal Addady
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in

‘It’s on us’: Luigi Mangione’s hearing delayed after DA failed to request him from jail
Lawcourts
‘It’s on us’: Luigi Mangione’s hearing delayed after DA failed to request him from jail
By Michael R. Sisak and The Associated PressJune 16, 2026
30 minutes ago
Dario Amodei, co-founder and chief executive officer of Anthropic, during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026.
AIAnthropic
Anthropic’s IPO pitch has a new problem: the government can shut it down
By Eva RoytburgJune 16, 2026
34 minutes ago
Infant mortality in the U.S. fell to an all-time low in 2025 thanks to antibody shots and RSV vaccines
Healthlife expectancy
Infant mortality in the U.S. fell to an all-time low in 2025 thanks to antibody shots and RSV vaccines
By Catherina Gioino and Mike StobbeJune 16, 2026
39 minutes ago
Dario Amodei, co-founder and chief executive officer of Anthropic, at Bloomberg House
AIAnthropic
The shutdown of Anthropic’s Mythos model sparks a global scramble for sovereign AI
By Beatrice NolanJune 16, 2026
1 hour ago
There’s nothing as American as apple pie. McDonald’s is bringing back its fried apple pie for the first time in 30 years for the country’s 250th
RetailMcDonald's
There’s nothing as American as apple pie. McDonald’s is bringing back its fried apple pie for the first time in 30 years for the country’s 250th
By The Associated Press and Dee-Ann DurbinJune 16, 2026
1 hour ago
AI won’t transform your business—until you redesign work itself 
AIWorkforce
AI won’t transform your business—until you redesign work itself 
By Francesca CassidyJune 16, 2026
2 hours ago

Most Popular

Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 15, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 15, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of silver as of Monday, June 15, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Monday, June 15, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 15, 2026
1 day ago
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
Big Tech
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
By Tristan BoveJune 15, 2026
23 hours ago
Team USA star Ricardo Pepi grew up in a trailer in El Paso—and his parents pawned their car title to fuel his soccer dream. Now, he’s in the World Cup
Success
Team USA star Ricardo Pepi grew up in a trailer in El Paso—and his parents pawned their car title to fuel his soccer dream. Now, he’s in the World Cup
By Preston ForeJune 15, 2026
24 hours ago
Meet Gwynne Shotwell, the engineer-turned-COO who runs SpaceX in platform heels and is now worth over $2 billion
Startups & Venture
Meet Gwynne Shotwell, the engineer-turned-COO who runs SpaceX in platform heels and is now worth over $2 billion
By Eva RoytburgJune 15, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of gold as of June 15, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of June 15, 2026
By Danny BakstJune 15, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.