Brace yourselves, the pope is coming.
He will be in Philadelphia in September, along with projected tens of thousands of others. So many visitors will be streaming into the area that hotels are expected to be booked solid and residents of the city and its surrounding counties are opening their homes.
While some have taken to sites like Craigslist to make a profit on their vacancies during the pontiff’s visit – homes are listed for rent there for up to $30,000 for that week – others have taken to the official partner site of the World Meeting of Families, Homestay.com
“With the expected volume of people, there will be a shortage of accommodations,” said Homestay CEO Alan Clarke. “We built the marketplace for the World Meeting event. When there’s an event in Philadelphia, San Francisco, in Richmond, or some other local event, even in a small town somewhere, we have the ability to create marketplaces for those events.”
Homestay.com is a site that connects people who want to host visitors and tourists with those who prefer local hospitality over hotels and inns. The marketplace Clarke mentioned is an extension of that site, connecting Philadelphians and those living in the surrounding counties with the stream of visitors expected for the pope’s stay.
“We had been asked through our parish if anybody could help,” said Renee Bowen, of Wayne. “They said there are three ways to help: financial, volunteering and opening up your homes because there are not enough hotel rooms.”
Residents as far as Easton and parts of New Jersey have placed their homes on the marketplace. Plenty of Montgomery County families plan to take in visitors as well. The marketplace includes homes in Pottstown, Schwenksville and Lansdale and a more concentrated map of offerings in city-adjacent areas like Cheltenham and Lower Merion.
“I saw it in my church bulletin,” said Nell Brosnan of Ambler, who has her home listed on the marketplace. “I thought, ‘Oh that would be cool.’ It would be interesting to meet other people and it seems like an exciting thing to do.”
With housing options inside of Philadelphia at a premium, visitors will be able to find less expensive options in Montgomery County, without sacrificing much of the convenience.
“I am two blocks away from the train that goes right to center of town,” Brosnan said. “It’s a very convenient place to live, across the street from the church, and close to the main street.”
As for cost, it is left entirely up to the host. Brosnan has listed rooms in her home at $40 and $50 per night, which she said will be donated and used for food during her guests’ stay. Bowen said she doesn’t want to charge, but the site has a minimum listing price of $40 per night.
“In my mind it is about getting to know this individual or individuals who are coming to stay with us and sharing this experience of this event,” Bowen said. “I think that’s going to be a big part of what adds to the whole concept of all of these families coming together, and what better way than to bring a family you don’t know into your home?”
Bowen’s family of four is hoping to find an individual or couple to occupy their guest bedroom. She said she applauds anyone who opens their home, no matter the price, because there will be more options for people who want to travel to the area.
“The price range I see is between $40 and $100 a night. We see people putting it at $200 or more, and that is completely up to the host what price they want to charge. Demand and supply will work themselves out,” Clarke said.
Nine months ahead of the World Meeting of Families and the arrival of Pope Francis, the demand hasn’t even begun to approach its peak, Clarke said. Neither Brosnan nor Bowen have been contacted by anyone looking to stay in their homes.
As the time draws nearer, and the marketplace for host homes becomes more publicized, Clarke expects both the demand and supply to go up. More people will decide to open their homes as more visitors begin planning their trips.
For those who are considering joining the hundreds who have listed their homes on the marketplace, Clarke said the power is in your hands.
“We built everything so that the host is the gatekeeper of everything. Before a host sets a booking, there is interaction between guests and hosts, you can send messages,” Clarke said. “That way we leave it up to the host to decide who they are happy to accept and who, perhaps, not. It is really up to the host’s discretion.”
Clarke added that the happiest customers on Homestay, among both guests and hosts, were those who had the most communication leading up to the stay. Knowing what the guest is looking for, and knowing what the host wants, makes all the difference.
As for Brosnan, she just wants to help.
“I’m not doing it for the money. I appreciate that people want to bring their family that they are trying to have an experience. If somebody can afford to spend thousands of dollars, that’s great for them,” Brosnan said.
“I’m not offering a big beautiful house, just a house with a couple of guest rooms. But someone can afford to bring their family and stay here instead of in the city where it would be a lot more.”
