Giving Away the House? Las Vegas Resorts Reopen With Rock-Bottom Rates
Photo Credit: Las Vegas resorts are dropping rates and waiving fees to win over the initial wave of travelers coming out of coronavirus shutdowns. Wikimedia / Clément Bardot
Skift Take
Vegas casino operators may care more about occupancy over daily rates in the initial recovery, but prolonged room discounts can alter guest rate expectations — and sink hotel revenue streams for the long-term.
Initial visitors to Sin City following coronavirus shutdowns may feel like they hit a jackpot before they even board a plane.
Some Las Vegas casino resorts reopened last week after Nevada lifted coronavirus restrictions that had been in place since late March. Travelers looking to book a room were greeted by an array of deals at normally expensive Las Vegas Strip resorts.
The five-star Bellagio had mid-week rooms for $125 per night later in the summer. Wynn Las Vegas offered a $150 per night weekend package at the end of June that included a $100 dining credit. The Cosmopolitan is waiving all self-parking fees, and other resorts like the Sahara Las Vegas said they would waive resort fees, sometimes known as “the most-hated fee in travel.”
It wasn’t too long ago when travel analysts said offering steep discounts right out of a downturn would bake in further financial duress for struggling operators. But analysts argue Las Vegas is a different kind of travel animal and h
