Rome hotel prices spike as travel bookings soar by 400% ahead of Pope’s funeral
Bookings from Ireland to Rome alone saw a 100 per cent uplift on Tuesday, according to one travel firm
Mourners looking to book a last-minute trip to Rome for Pope Francis’s funeral have been warned it “won’t be cheap” as travel experts report accommodation prices are 13 per cent higher than expected.
Bookings to Rome surged by 400 per cent in the 24 hours following the Pope’s death on Monday, according to data from On the Beach.
The funeral of the pontiff will be held on Saturday at St Peter’s Square, the Vatican said on Tuesday, as world leaders and royals including Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron, Donald Trump and the Prince of Wales confirmed their attendance.
The Pope died at his home in the Vatican on Monday aged 88 after a stroke. He had been recovering from double pneumonia for which he was hospitalised for five weeks.
Tim Hentschel, HotelPlanner.com chief executive and co-founder, said with tens of thousands of people expected to travel to Rome this weekend for the funeral of the Pope, prompting a rise in demand for flights and hotels in the area surrounding St Peter’s Basilica, prices are increasing.
HotelPlanner, which keeps close tabs on price fluctuations around major events, has found hotel room prices are more expensive this weekend than in just two weeks’ time.
“We’ve identified that rooms in Rome for this weekend are priced 13 per cent higher than to be expected for this time of year. Price rises around major global events are inevitable and are a true reflection on the demand spikes, as last-minute bookings significantly increase,” Mr Hentschel told The i Paper.
“A one night stay this Saturday at the Orange Hotel, which is an 11-minute walk from St Peter’s Basilica, is going for £540. The same room is available for £350 just two weeks later.”
Mr Hentschel said the price increases are different to the price gauging by the hotel industry in anticipation of demand around key events such as tours by major artists.
“The former is genuine demand for supply, and the latter is hoteliers hedging their bets on increased demand and hiking up the rates to chance their luck,” he said.
The surge in demand is supported by search and booking data from travel websites.
A spokesperson for travel company Kayak said: “According to Kayak, the world’s leading travel search engine, flight searches made on 21st April for travel from the UK to Rome rose by 28 per cent week on week, and by 38 per cent globally.”
On the Beach said in addition to the 400 per cent spike in bookings in the 24 hours following Pope Francis’s death, bookings from Ireland to Rome saw a 100 per cent uplift on Tuesday.
Zoe Harris, chief customer officer at On the Beach said: “The Pope’s passing prompted a outpouring of grief around the world and what followed was a flurry of bookings to Rome.”
Prices for travel to Italy were already up for 2025 because it is a Jubilee Year, a special year of forgiveness and reconciliation in the Catholic Church.
Tom Jenkins, CEO of the European Tourism Association, said Rome was already very busy because of festivities linked to the holy year.
Mr Jenkins said: “The prices won’t be cheap, but we’re dealing with the high season anyway.
“If there’s a new pope being elected, you’re not going to find too many cheap rooms in Rome, but you weren’t going to find too many cheap ones in Rome at this time of year anyway.”
