El Paso, Las Cruces hotels prepare for Pope Francis’ visit; warn of rate hike

The Borderland is 41 days from Pope Francis’ visit to Juarez, which may seem like awhile. Feb. 17 is still over a month away. But already hotels are booking reservations from people traveling to El Paso. Their advice is get rooms while they’re still available.

From the big to the small, the expectations are the same.

“I can guarantee you most hotels will be sold out with multiple guests,” Downtown Double Tree General Manager William Giraldez said. “So we’re going to have thousands of guests in El Paso.”

“It’s kind of like having the Olympics here,” said Joe Nebhan, the owner of El Paso’s oldest operating hotel, The Gardener. He’s renovating the downtown icon just in time for the visit.

“We’re already starting to get some reservations,” Nebhan said.

Across the way, the DoubleTree is preparing its staff to meet the needs of an estimated 800 guests.

“Locations, destinations, transportation — all of that will be planned during this time,” Giraldez said.

Both the Gardener and DoubleTree aren’t just here to serve, they’re ready to make a profit, as is every hotel in the area. It’s no secret, the rates are slowly on the rise.

“We always try to charge whatever the fair market price is,” Giraldez said.

“We don’t want to gouge the people in any way whatsoever, however, this is a-once-in-a-lifetime event, the first time ever in the Borderland,” Giraldez said.

A quick look at Borderland hotel rates for the week of Wednesday, Feb.17 show prices ranging from low to high, the front desk cautioning all rates are subject to change. In Las Cruces Hotel Encanto has singles for $149 per night; the Best Western Mission Inn is at $94.99.

In Downtown El Paso, the Double Tree has singles for $369 per night, the El Camino Real for $135 and The Gardener is undecided. At the airport the Wyndham raised prices from $145 to $219, and on the Eastside, the Hampton Inn & Suites El Paso/East is $279.

A last-minute reservation could mean paying double.

“As soon as we found out the dates we made sure everything was ready,” Nebhan said.

“Work those plans out as early as you can,” Giraldez said.

If you know people who want to visit El Paso or Las Cruces that week, warn them. Because even if money isn’t an issue, the availability of rooms could be.