There’s little chance Las Vegas will be able to match the economic success this year that the city saw a year ago when it hosted its first Super Bowl.
And other circumstances could play into just how many people arrive this weekend for a good time as New Orleans gears up to host Super Bowl 59 two time zones away on Sunday.
The Kansas City Chiefs meet the Philadelphia Eagles in a rematch from two years ago. The Chiefs, now trying to win an unprecedented third straight NFL championship, set themselves up for a potential “three-peat” when they won the big game in Las Vegas last year.
A survey of hotel room prices conducted by the Review-Journal Tuesday indicates demand is far below what it was in early 2024 as Southern Nevada geared up for hosting what arguably was the biggest special event in the city’s history.
While the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority doesn’t plan to project the number of visitors the city will see and how much they’ll spend until later this week, hotel rate averages provide a telling picture of how different this year is from previous years.
The Review-Journal calculated averages based on published prices from Hotels.com. They don’t include taxes or resort fees that can be as high as $50 a night.
The survey averaged room rates for a Friday, Saturday and Sunday night in advance of Super Bowl Sunday.
Lower average rates
The survey found an average rate of $157.75 a night, more than $100 a night less than what it was a year ago and around $40 a night less than the 12-month average daily room rate for 2024.
In the 2024 run-up to the Super Bowl, the Review-Journal conducted three surveys: three weeks, two weeks and a week before the game. Demand started out extremely strong in mid-January when the average rate was $443.84 a night. A week later, it had dipped to $403.09 a night and the week before the game, $288.82.
Unlike last year, there are multiple Strip properties offering rooms for less than $100 a night. They include MGM Grand ($99), Sahara ($86), The Linq ($82), Treasure Island ($80), Luxor ($75), Harrah’s Las Vegas ($74), Flamingo ($69), The Strat ($54) and Circus Circus ($32).
Some of the usual high-end resorts are still higher than the rest but nowhere close to prices closing in on $1,000 a night or more as they were last year. Among them: Wynn and Encore Las Vegas ($279), Bellagio ($260), The Venetian ($213), Palazzo ($258), Fontainebleau ($244), Aria ($225) and Caesars Palace ($169).
A separate survey of 13 downtown Las Vegas properties revealed an average price of $139.92 a night, with Circa ($189), Downtown Grand ($171), El Cortez ($133), Plaza ($102) and D ($99) among the standouts.
‘World-class viewing’
Amanda Bellarmino, an assistant professor at UNLV’s William F. Harrah College of Hospitality, said she expects Las Vegas will continue to be a popular Super Bowl viewing destination, despite the city not hosting the game this year.
“We have been a destination for Super Bowl for decades due to the world-class viewing we provide for our guests,” she said in an email. “For years, Super Bowl was busy because it gave fans the opportunity to bet on the game as there were limited markets with legalized sports betting. Even with the legalization of sports betting nationwide and the availability of making wagers from a cell phone, Super Bowl and other events like March Madness (the annual NCAA championship college basketball tournament) still attract fans to Las Vegas due to our unrivaled ability to create viewing parties.”
Ahead of the LVCVA’s projection, Bellarmino said she believes Las Vegas will see higher numbers than in 2022 and 2023.
“While we obviously will not see the increased revenue from the shoulder dates that we had last year or the excitement of hosting the event, I believe that it is reasonable to assume we will achieve slight growth over 2022 and 2023 numbers,” she said.
The reason: People still crave the social aspect of gathering with a group to watch.
“For Super Bowl, fans have the ability to experience the game on large screens with world-class dining and an array of beverage options that is hard to match in a private home,” she said. “Additionally, guests are able to enjoy all that Vegas has to offer before and after the game, all with no cleanup for the guests. For March Madness, we offer the ability to view multiple games at once. Consumers also enjoy the ability to go cash in their winning tickets after the game is finished.”
While fires in Southern California — Las Vegas’ largest market with about one-third of visitors coming from there — are still fresh in the minds of potential visitors, the jury is still out on whether potential tourists from there will stay home or get away for the Super Bowl.
There also has been an increase in dissent on social media about the rapidly climbing cost of a Las Vegas visit with higher prices for entertainment, food, gasoline and costs imposed by many resorts for parking and resort fees.
In a post on X in response to a recent Review-Journal story, @dntchase wrote, “I used to go to Vegas 2-3 times a year at a minimum, but stopped because of all of the nickel and diming. The final straw was casinos charging $12 for a Bud Light and the increased parking prices. Parking should be included if the person is staying at the hotel.”
Some resorts offer free parking to hotel guests, but others don’t.
On X, @D3viator wrote, “It already costs and arm and a leg to visit and explore Vegas.”
Contact Richard N. Velotta at [email protected] or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.
