Rome’s hotel industry experienced its strongest performance of 2025 during the funeral of Pope Francis, according to data released by CoStar, a leading real estate analytics firm. The spike, driven by a last-minute surge in demand, set records for the year in occupancy, rates, and revenue per available room (RevPAR).
On 25 April, the night before the funeral, Rome reached:
88.8% occupancy (highest in 2025 so far),
€351.13 average daily rate (ADR) (eighth highest on record),
€311.90 RevPAR (highest of the year).
The momentum continued into 26 April, the day of the funeral:
84.8% occupancy (fourth highest of 2025),
€336.45 ADR (second highest of 2025),
€285.25 RevPAR (second highest of 2025).
Each of Rome’s submarkets saw a double-digit rise in room rates, with Rome Centre leading with a +42.1% year-over-year increase, hitting €786.89 ADR.
Alexander Robinson, Regional Manager at STR (a CoStar company), noted the exceptional nature of this spike:
“We have seen the continued power of events across Europe… but Pope Francis’ funeral was announced just five days in advance – a short-term booking window for such a level of compression, which makes this performance even more unique.”
This surge highlights the economic and logistical impact of globally significant, unplanned events on local hospitality markets.
