Las Vegas Rates A Big Win For Travelers

Occupancies are down and rates are way down in Las Vegas, and even though it has been severely impacted by the nationwide economic doldrums and hesitancy by many to travel and/or fly, Las Vegas today is much more accessible than it has been in recent years. Additionally, the timeframe for booking hotels of choice has shrunk radically.

That's the word from Alan Feldman, MGM Mirage senior vice president of public affairs, who said, "room availability has changed overnight. Instead of the pre-Sept. 11 situation, where the window for booking had grown to 30 or 45 days prior to arrival, now we're back to being a pretty spontaneous buy.

"Weekends still are our busiest time," Feldman continued. "Therefore, the best deals are available Monday through Thursday. When you combine that with greatly reduced airfares, and the fact that major carriers have dropped the Saturday night stayover requirement, Las Vegas once again is a buyer's market."

Furthermore, with some 125,000 rooms to sell each evening, "hotel rates are being significantly slashed," he said. "The Grand currently has been selling Monday-to-Thursday rooms at $70 and $90 dollars per night. A year ago, it would have been twice that amount." However, Feldman stressed that tabs for Friday through Sunday could be as much as three times the weekday rate.

Meanwhile, with Southwest Airlines and America West Airlines as Las Vegas' principal air carriers, plus broad service from the other U.S. major carriers, Las Vegas enjoys a diversity of air service that keeps prices down.

Also on the rebound, according to Feldman, are smaller corporate meetings, for which Las Vegas particularly is well suited. "We're easy to reach, and hotels deploy the same skills used to smoothly handle mass convention crowds, for smaller, more intimate groups," he said.

Feldman emphasized that many Las Vegas properties are extremely well equipped for such events. They offer top-of-the-line audiovisual equipment, computer services, satellite hookups, videoconferencing capabilities and comfortable and efficient boardrooms.

Feldman also noted that many hotels maintain small meeting specialists on staff, people who provide the same level of service for a high powered executive meeting or regional sales gathering as they would for conventions that "draw tens of thousands."

As an example of its range of business capabilities, Feldman pointed to a new 90,000-sq.-ft. exhibit center and a brand new boardroom suitable for a couple of dozen people.

Another key appeal is Las Vegas' compactness. "The MGM Grand is across the street from the airport, and a huge mix of fine dining choices can be found either in one's hotel, or just a very short ride away," Feldman said.

He concluded, "at our properties—which include the MGM Grand, Mirage, Golden Nugget, Treasure Island and New York, New York—we're facing a true double whammy. But while lower rates and reduced occupancies are bad for us, they're clearly good news for business travelers."