John Paul II beatification packs Rome hotels this weekend
By Barbara De Lollis, USA TODAY
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By Gregorio Borgia, AP Photo
The city's population will swell by about 1.1 million people from around the world, the story says. The ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 1.
Rooms, however, are still available and a special website has been set up forlast-minute pilgrims seeking lodging.
Hotel comparison site Trivago says the going rate for a one-night hotel stay in Rome this weekend is $370 - higher than the $310 nightly rate currently being sought by hotels in London, where people are gathering for the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on Friday, International Business Traveler reports.
The crushing demand means that some Rome hoteliers are trying to get away with doubling their prices - and more, Bloomberg says.
Police intervened, closing six hotels and issuing $438,000 in fines for tourist rip-offs and practices, the story says.
One hotel was found to have added eight beds to small rooms, Ansa news wire reported last week.
Despite the crowds, Rome will still house people who are going for other reasons. On TripAdvisor's UK website, there's an entire forum discussion dedicated to finding ways to avoid the crowds in Rome on May 1.
Readers: Have you ever booked a hotel stay in a city during a huge event that you weren't attending? How did it go?
Posted Apr 27 2011 2:24AM
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