In Rome, there is the Casa di Santa Marta, a hotel managed by the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, which has historically served as a hospice for religious and needy people in the neighborhood. During World War II, this place also housed the ambassadors of countries that had interrupted their diplomatic relations with Mussolini in Italy.
During the conclave, the cardinals who elect the next pope stay at the Casa Santa Marta, a modern five-story hotel with amenities for the cardinals. Despite the luxurious facilities, the cardinals must be careful as everything consumed in their rooms will be charged at the end of their stay.
The Casa di Santa Marta has 105 two-bedroom suites and 26 single rooms, lounges, a dining room, and a chapel. During the conclave, all electronic devices and communication means are removed to ensure the total isolation of the electors, as stipulated by Vatican regulations.
Additionally, other adjacent residences have been made available to accommodate all the participating cardinals in the conclave, as the Sistine Chapel does not have enough rooms for so many cardinals. The rooms are assigned by lottery the day before the start of the conclave to ensure impartiality in the election.
During a previous conclave, Archbishop Anselmo Guido Pecorari recounted an anecdote where a foreign cardinal thought everything in the room was free and emptied the minibar with colleagues. This situation exemplifies the importance of following the rules during the stay at the Casa di Santa Marta during the conclave.
