New York: For enterprising dwellers in Philadelphia, the pope’s maiden visit to the US means one thing: mega bucks and listing their apartments on Airbnb for thousands of dollars a night.
Pope Francis may be a legendary critic of unfettered capitalism, but his September 26-27 visit has fuelled a free-wheeling, money-making opportunity in the finest free market tradition.
Debt-burdened students and house-proud professionals are keen to cash in on the two million Catholics expected to attend what has been dubbed one of the biggest religious events held in the US.
Eric, 26, a student in medical school with dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon, put his newly renovated, three-bedroom loft duplex on the website for a cool $10,000 a night. “It seemed like a nice, easy way to make a chunk of change,” he said, touting $1,000 per person per night as the “going rate” for his area and that his pad can easily sleep 10. “Two blocks from convention centre where Pope will be visiting,” shrieks his advertisement in capitals. Eric and his two roommates have more than $500,000 in college debt between them. Any pope windfall, he said, will go toward paying off loans. “As it gets closer, if we don’t get any bites with the laughable amount that we’re charging, maybe we’ll drop it a little bit,” Eric said.
He plans to crash with friends, or possibly his girlfriend. It doesn’t matter where.
“If someone’s going to pay me that amount of money, I would sleep in the street!” he said.
But he is a tenant and, like other would-be hosts did not want to give his last name for fear of being busted by landlords opposed to short-term sublets.
Airbnb says listings have increased tenfold and bookings nearly threefold in Philadelphia since this time last year.
Drawing a wider net than two-bedroom apartments listed in the city centre, Airbnb claimed the average price for booked and available listings for the weekend of the Pope’s visit was $125.
But Mark, 30, who works in the financial industry, is advertising his brand new, three-bedroom home “just steps away” from the pope for $5,000 a night for a minimum of two nights. AFP
