During a papal conclave, the cardinals sleep and stay at the Domus Sanctae Marthae, a residence inside Vatican City built specifically to house them during the conclave. This building, completed in 1996, offers hotel-like accommodations with 131 rooms, including suites with sitting rooms and private bathrooms. The cardinals are assigned rooms by lot, and the building also houses support staff such as doctors, cooks, and confessors during the conclave
. Because the number of cardinal electors can sometimes exceed the number of rooms in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, additional accommodations may be used in nearby Vatican facilities such as the Old Saint Marta building and other Vatican-owned apartments
. The cardinals are bused daily from the Domus Sanctae Marthae to the Sistine Chapel, where the voting takes place, and strict rules ensure their seclusion from the outside world during the conclave
. In summary, the cardinals sleep at the Domus Sanctae Marthae residence and occasionally at nearby Vatican facilities when needed, with rooms assigned by lot and all communications with the outside world cut off during the conclave
