Hotel chief on papal confusion: 'We're going to make this work'

Ed Grose knows pressure. He's a world-class rower who won gold at the Pan American Games. But this summer, as head of the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association, he finds himself in one of the toughest heats of his career.

Ever-changing disclosures about security and attendance rules for Pope Francis' open-air appointments in Philadelphia have tarnished tourist appeal and hurt hotel bookings for late September.

At the start of this past week, Grose was primed to reverse perceptions that the high-security event will be more of an obstacle course than an audience with the spiritual leader of more than one billion followers.

Mayor Nutter and Catholic Church officials pledged in late August to improve attitudes about the pontiff's appearances Sept. 26 and 27 with a publicity and marketing campaign. Grose followed suit with his strategy.

But on Wednesday, as he proofread a planned news release trumpeting the cause, organizers were about to introduce more fine print:

The best views of the pope on Independence Mall and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway would be possible only with a limited number of tickets previously allotted through parishes.

The outcry was intense - so much so that the next day, officials hastily arranged a news conference at which they announced they would make additional tickets available on a first-come, first-served basis.

"It's crazy," groused an exasperated Grose, tablet computer in one hand and handkerchief to wipe sweat from his brow in the other, Thursday afternoon as he swept into the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown.

"They're saying now that there'll be 25,000 tickets available to the general public," Grose noted, unmoved by the damage control.

"You know, it's a little late in the game to change the rules. It's not fair to the people who are staying in our rooms."

Hoteliers need Grose to figure this out. A lot of money rides on whether he does.

Over the last few weeks, hotels across central Philadelphia have dropped rates to move rooms they figured would have been booked by now, and at top dollar.

They were taken aback by the news of ticketed Parkway viewing, fearing it would serve as yet another disincentive for visitors. Airlines and transit agencies report unremarkable demand for tickets from inbound travelers.

That news followed a drumbeat of reports detailing what people may not do during the papal visit, all of which, hotels say, has dimmed the glint of a global event that will play out in one of the nation's most historic cities.

"I don't know how many people are aware that Andrea Bocelli is going to be performing on the Art Museum stage with the Philadelphia Orchestra," Grose said, "but everyone seems to know you can't bring a selfie stick on the Parkway."

When not scrambling to put out fires set by others, Grose, 48 and a father of three, talks about security restrictions and logistical obstacles imposed by the Secret Service as difficult, but not forbidding.

"Despite the challenges, we're going to make this work," he said. "We're still going to deliver a great experience to people who want to see the pope."

"As far as I'm concerned," he said, "this is still going to be an incredible, once-in-a-generation event."

One of the biggest issues confronting hotels is how the Secret Service has established several concentric security zones around the city's core.

No vehicles will be allowed to enter the largest zone, a 4.7-square-mile security area, during the papal weekend. Bicycles will be kept farther back, and pedestrians will have to pass through security scanners to be closest to the pope, inside fenced-in areas where he will say Mass and participate in other celebrations.

For hoteliers, bookings are only part of the problem. For several weeks, Grose has been trying to negotiate with City Hall and the Secret Service to allow deliveries of fresh linens and food into the secure perimeter.

He also asked SEPTA to add stops on its subway lines to help employees get to work in Center City in light of restricted rail service.

He will meet Tuesday with the head of the city's Office of Emergency Management and the Commerce Department to discuss all these issues.

As he spoke, the phone rang. It was Victor Nappen, vice president of sales and marketing for A.C. Linen, whose 24-foot box trucks ship thousands of pounds of laundered bedsheets and towels to many of the city's hotels.

"Any more updates on the window of opportunity?" Nappen asked, searching for assurances that the city and Secret Service will indeed allow deliveries.

Not yet, Grose said. Soon, he hoped.

Another problem: Even corporate bookings are coming in lower than normal for the week leading to the pope's visit. To that end, Grose has asked the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce to spread the word for businesses and their vendors to treat that week as a normal one.

There is no precedent for what is to come: street appearances on U.S. soil by a pope in a post-9/11 world and preemptive security to match.

"This is 30 blocks of managing security," said longtime Marriott sales director April Gamache, "which is just an astronomical feat."

215-854-2431

@Panaritism