Papal Visit Philadelphia 2015: Philadelphia Hotels Slash Room Rates, Many Rooms Still Unsold for Pope Francis’ Visit

Pope Francis' scheduled visit to Philadelphia is barely two weeks away, but a lot of room hotels in Philadelphia remain unsold for the event. Most Philadelphia hotels are said to be slashing rates and offering different perks for guests on the scheduled Papal visit.

According to ABC News, at least 3,000 of 11,200 rooms in downtown Philadelphia are still available. To attract guests, some hotels are reportedly offering extras such as subway tokens and Philadelphia snacks.

WTAE.com also reports that the city's regional rail line has sold 60,000 fewer passes than expected for the Papal visit in Philadelphia. About 5,000 charter buses were also expected to be signed up for the event, but only 1,100 units have been registered so far.

Talking about hotel rates, Ed Grose, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association, reveals, "In some cases, it's actually more affordable now than during a large, citywide convention. It varies on what's going on in the city, but I can assure you the rates I'm seeing now are very competitive."

According to ABC News' report, the cheapest room as of writing is at the Marriott near City Hall, which is available for $195 per night. This is reportedly about $125 cheaper than the original price back in July, when demand was higher. Meanwhile, those who wish to stay in downtown Philadelphia can book a room for less than $300 a night.

The somehow dismal number of hotel bookings for the Papal visit in Philadelphia is said to be an indication that only few people are interested to attend the event. However, Mayor Michael Nutter has been constantly encouraging people to attend the Papal visit, and he remains positive about people rushing in to book hotels in the last minute.

"I think you're going to see some late decision-making going on," Nutter said. "Folks are going to try to grab those rooms," he said.

Originally, there was a plan to let people camp out in a city park during Pope Francis' visit, but it was cancelled 24 hours after, reportedly due to "lack of interest" of people.

Pope Francis is set to arrive in Philadelphia on Sept. 26. He will celebrate mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in the morning, but the mass will not be open to the public. He will also visit the Independence Mall and celebrate mass, this time for the public, on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway outside the Philadelphia Art Museum. More details about the Papal visit in Philadelphia are available here.