Las Vegas Strip room rates soar ahead of NFL Draft
When the NFL draft comes to Las Vegas in April, it will bring star athletes, pigskin parties and road closures.
It will also bring a big boost in room rates.
Las Vegas hotel room prices for the football extravaganza, scheduled for April 23-25, are soaring. The Clark County Commission approved event plans Tuesday.
Room rates during the draft are up an average of about 89 percent across 40 properties on or near the Strip as compared with the week before, according to figures Wednesday on Hotels.com. The biggest increase, 228 percent, is at Caesars Palace, where the cost of a room jumps from $217 per night April 16-19 to $712 per night April 23-26.
Room rates typically accelerate in Las Vegas during events that draw massive crowds, and the draft is shaping up to be no different.
MGM Resorts International has multiple properties with big price jumps on Hotels.com during the draft, including Bellagio, up 162 percent from the week before, and Mandalay Bay, up 123 percent.
The festivities are slated to include NFL prospects showcased on a red carpet stage to be built over the Fountains of Bellagio, with players and their families ferried there by boat.
The draft’s main stage and a free, three-day football festival will be set up outside the new Caesars Forum convention center.
Road closures will be implemented at and around the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road — the center of the Strip.
“It’s going to be a huge week for Las Vegas,” MGM spokesman Brian Ahern said in a statement Wednesday. “Having the national sports spotlight is an incredible win for the city and furthers Las Vegas’ reputation as a top sports and entertainment destination. We’re looking forward to working with our partners to provide guests and viewers with an unforgettable experience.”
Caesars Entertainment Corp. said in a statement the draft is “driving demand in room bookings.” The company said it has availability at resorts close to the main stage but expects to be sold out for the three-day event.
Las Vegas tourism officials hope to draw larger crowds than last year’s draft in Nashville, Tennessee. That city reported 600,000 visitors over the three-day period but counted turnstile admissions to the league’s free NFL Experience attraction, meaning one visitor could have been counted three times over the course of the event.
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority spokeswoman Maria Phelan said Wednesday that it does not have estimates on the expected visitor total during the draft.
Meanwhile, not every hotel in Las Vegas is charging hundreds of dollars more per night during the draft.
According to Hotels.com, a room at Motel 8 on the south Strip costs $148 nightly during the draft, compared to $100 the week before.
Owner Thomas Kovari said Wednesday his prices would be lower if customers book with the motel directly, as travel sites take a commission.
Contact Eli Segall at esegall@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0342. Follow @eli_segall on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writer Richard N. Velotta contributed to this report.
