How's Las Vegas Doing???

As most people know, there was a mass shooting and killing on October 1 in Las Vegas, and the impact on the visitor count right after that event was dramatic.

So.....what are they doing to get folks to consider coming back to the “city that never sleeps”?

Like most marketers, they are reducing the cost of a room, virtually through out the Strip. Late last month, Caesars was discounting most of its Strip properties by as much as 40% for stays up until Dec. 14, and last week they were offering a sale discount of up to 25% on rooms booked for stays through next October.

One hotelier noted that they had suspended marketing efforts after the attack and that might have contributed to the drop in visitor count, because there were others who followed that same strategy.

When you consider 150,000 hotel rooms that need to be filled, or at least 70% filled, that's important......it's also a lot of rooms to sell every night.

According to the latest Travel Weekly, the city's visitor numbers grew from about 30 million a year in the late 1990s to a record year last year of 42.9 million. Occupancy numbers ran about 90% last year, and contributing to that increase was a decided increase of international visitors from China.

Interviewing the company where the shooter was stationed, the Mandalay Bay, no doubt that incident has impacted their room night count. As a result, as of last week, the midweek rates for December were less than $60 a night.

I remember several years ago about this time in December we had a group to stay for 4 nights, and beside the National Finals Rodeo, they also had the Rock 'n Roll Marathon. I mean, you couldn't hardly stir people with a stick up and down the Strip. I read just recently that they had completed the marathon this year and had one of the largest registrations ever.

My feeling is that around the middle of winter, February or March, they will be able to see that all the hysteria will have died down. When you consider the crowds that emerge with the Super Bowl, and with the regional basketball tournaments, not counting all the other conventions that will be taking place, having been planned for over a year, that community will continue to survive. It is a great adult city with abundant entertainment venues, and the additional upgrades to the monorail system only enhances the experience.

So, now would be a good time to plan a Vegas trip. Check the Convention and Visitors Bureau site to help plan when big crowds are not going to be there. Then travel on Monday or Tuesday and return on Thursday.....they might even pay you to come out there!!!!

Call the professional travel agents at The Travel Factory and we will do our best to find you the best deal to Vegas, or any other destination.....anything to get you outta town!!! We can be found at 4150 Southwest Drive between Rosa's and Chick-Fil-A, or give us a call at 325-698-1421 or toll-free 800-760-4040.