Hotel rooms still available for pope visit weekend

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Hotel officials in Philadelphia want you to know that there are still rooms available if you are still considering a trip to the city the weekend Pope Francis is in town.

There was some concern, even just a week ago, that hotels weren't selling. Rooms are still available but hotels say those rooms are starting to move. So if you need a place to stay, don't wait.

The minimum night stays have been dropped, prices have come down a bit, and some restrictions have been lightened a bit. And that has helped hotel traffic pick up.

In the last few weeks hotels tell us their phones have been ringing.

The two nights the pope is here are obviously the busier nights, with fewer rooms available.

While they aren't at sell out status yet, hotels are telling people who want to come to get their rooms before it's too late.

Ed Grose of the Philadelphia Hotel Association explains, "Right now we have about a third of our rooms still available. But we do anticipate a sell out for the weekend of the papal visit."

Michelle Simpson from the Sonesta Hotel says, "We are feeling much better about it. Our employees are very excited to welcome all of these international guests. And it's going to be a really great time, exciting time for Philadelphia."

The Sonesta told us they have prepped their reservation employees for the weekend, so they are doing their part to make sure all the guests who book have the correct information about how to get in and all the closures and security measures.