Las Vegas Deep Discounts Make for an Attractive Vacation Spot
It may seem illogical. Head to Vegas and spend money gambling, dining, checking out the shows. But that's what economic stimulus is all about, getting people to spend....just do so wisely. During these tough financial times, Las Vegas may be among the most wise of vacation destinations as people seek out value.
Las Vegas hotels are slashing room rates as a result of oversupply compared to limited demand.
How low you ask?
Gambling911.com decided to check on hotel rates during the middle of March, traditionally a hot bed of activity in Vegas with March Madness and Spring Break. What we found might astonish you.
Harrah's Hotel and Casino was a mere $82 a night on average between March 12 and March 16. And, No that's not a Sunday thru Wednesday excursion, those are weekend rates.
It gets better.
The Stratosphere, located at the Northern end of the strip, is charging on average just $45 a night. The Saraha is just $39 a night. The Excalibur is $65 a night. Treasure Island is $119. Paris Las Vegas is $110 a night. The Mirage is $139. New York New York is $101. Circus Circus is just $43. Luxor is $87 a night on average. Bally's is $82 per night. Monte Carlo is $90 per night. Tropicana is $46 per night. These are not flea infested roach motels we are talking about here folks.
Okay so perhaps you want something a little more swanky?
Caesar's Palace, which is practically a five star hotel, is charging just $136 per night. The MGM Grand is $116 a night. And if you want to splurge just a bit, The Bellagio and Venetian Hotels are charging $199 a night on average over this period. That's around the same price as your typical big chain business hotel in most major cities.
"We realize we are in difficult economic times, but we understand that people want to take a break and still have a good time," Vince Alberta, spokesman for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), Told CNN this weekend. "Vegas is the place to do that."
With connections from a major East Coast city, round trip flights can cost under $300.
"You can conceivably stay in Las Vegas for four nights comfortably and pay a grand total of $700 or less," said Payton O'Brien, Senior Editor of Gambling911.com who regularly monitors air fares to and from Vegas. "You'll also have more money to gamble with."
One of the reasons we are seeing the deep slashing of room rates: Corporations are under greater pressure to cancel annual junkets. Last week, Wells Fargo canceled its company's trip to Las Vegas after being humiliated in the press.
"Events such as this are the heart of our culture because our product is service, delivered by caring, energized, talented, loyal team members who earn competitive, fair wages and benefits," writes John Stumpf, the chief executive of Wells Fargo, in a full-page ad in Sunday's New York Times and Washington Post. The company has cancelled all similar trips the remainder of the year and no other corporation wants to be seen as "splurging on its employees and executives" during these rough economic times.
"Everyone is concerned about their image," James Etkin, president of ME Productions, told the New York Times. "They don't want to be in the headlines."
Meeting Professionals International, a trade group, predicted a 12 percent drop in conference attendance this year and a 9 percent decrease in off-site meetings and other corporate events. The association is the widely cited source on the estimated number of jobs supported by such events, and the spending on them.
The impact will surely be felt in Las Vegas, one of the world's top convention destinations. But for the average leisurely travel, Sin City is now a steal.
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Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
