Pope's Visit to Philadelphia in September Causing Run on Hotel Rooms in Suburbs
By Brad Segall
DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- Officials with Bucks County's tourism agency say the buzz surrounding the visit of Pope Francis to Philadelphia in late September is translating into big business for suburban hotels.
When news broke that the pope would make a stop in the Philadelphia region for the World Meeting of Families this fall, hotels and motels outside the city began planning.
Now, the first numbers are in, and hotels in Bucks County are nearly 90 percent booked for that final weekend in September.
Dennis Cronin, director of sales for the Holiday Inn Express in Warminster, Pa., says their 92 rooms are already spoken for, and the hotel staff will be ready.
"We're just going to be putting our best foot forward for our guests that are going to be here during that time," he tells KYW Newsradio. "It is the time to shine. We just need to show that the Bucks County area, the Philadelphia area, is one of the best places to be."
Cronin says they have taken reservations for that week from North Dakota, Florida, Texas, and Indiana.
Meanwhile, tourism officials in Montgomery County say they anticipate hotel rooms as far as Pottstown will be sold out that weekend.