Sunday, August 31, 2008

Labor Day Weekend Rates Down Double Digits

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported this week that room rates in town are down double digits on average and upwards of 50% in some cases. As has been the case recently, the higher end properties seem to be holding up better than the mid and low end places. For example, Venetian was down 17% while the Riviera was down 39%. The discounting seems to be working as McCarran Airport is predicting that it may match last year's passenger volume.

This is a continuation of what I have seen in my 2 trips in the past month. People are still coming to town in droves, they are just spending less money while they are there.I noticed that to be the case in many aspects. The lines were a little sparse at the ultra lounges but the casino bars were packed. The gourmet restaurants were less busy but the coffee shops and casual places had waits. This tells me 2 things about the future of Las Vegas. Bringing back the value that made Vegas great in the past is exactly what is needed right now and that once the economy does pick back up, the casino companies stand to take off once again because the people are still coming and they will have fatter wallets in the future. You may start getting worried if we see sharp declines in the visitor numbers.

On a different topic... I would like to add some color to my review of the Hooters room below. I posted it on several internet message boards and quite a few people disagreed with my assessment based on the pics I posted. I want to clarify that it was far from the most disgusting or flithy room I have ever stayed in. I lived in Motel 6s for a month so I have see some scary rooms. My major problem with the room was pretty much everything but the room. The elevators, hallways, view and the general cleanliness of the place. It was just cheesy and depressing and it seriously felt like we were being "warehoused." Even my worst room at the Imperial Palace still felt like I was staying in a hotel. To be fair, I will give the place another try in the future if it remains around long enough for that to happen.


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