Was just there a week ago, Vegas has become insanely expensive. Why must it be an eye watering bill to go hangout in the desert, eat, gamble a bit, and see a show? It's a bit sad, Vegas used to be more fun, but I also noticed the casinos were barren compared to my last visit 5 years ago.
The net-net is I'd rather go somewhere else next time.
anonnon · 8m ago
I remember considering to move there for a while 12 years ago, with cost of living being a major motivation. Now the rentals are almost on par pricewise with what you'd see in SF or NYC.
esperent · 1h ago
I keep seeing articles about this recently, as I'm sure many other people have.
The common response is to point out that, current political environment aside, it's because Vegas has become far more expensive in recent years.
In other words, they've decided to start targeting more wealthy customers.
So it doesn't matter if visitor numbers have dropped (not to the people running Vegas anyway). It only matters if profits have dropped. And I haven't seen any reports on this so far. Maybe profits are growing or stable?
mrandish · 37m ago
> So it doesn't matter if visitor numbers have dropped
Large corporate casino owners who can still benefit by making up the shortfall in visitors from high rollers who spend (and lose) bigger chunks of money gambling aren't the bulk of the overall Vegas tourist economy - which is mostly employees, suppliers and service providers whose income is driven more by "number of visitors" than "spend per visitor".
And it matters to the visitors who can't afford to go there anymore.
herbst · 48m ago
The article says profit has risen slightly compared to last year July. But they also mention several examples with new perks that are definitely not targeting healthy travellers (like free parking, food credits, ...)
I just checked hotel prices and it does look damn cheap compared to anywhere in Europe. But I guess that's not what makes it expensive
mrandish · 33m ago
> But I guess that's not what makes it expensive
I went for a niche conference a few weeks ago which was held at a lower-end 'budget' casino hotel off the strip and the actual room price per night was more than 2.5 times the relatively reasonable-seeming room rate I booked under due to resort fees, taxes and other bullshit.
blinded · 4h ago
Friends and I were going to go for a football game, make a weekend out of it. Prices were just outrageous.
swarnie · 34m ago
I wonder if its a generational thing or at least a failure to market to a new generation, i know Vegas by reputation but what does it actually offer? 9/10 of the top destinations on TripAdvisor for Vegas are to leave Vegas....
Gambling? We've been able to do that via our phones since the mid 2010s.
Collect an interesting variety on venereal diseases? Same, smartphone compatible for a decade or more.
Celebrity fronted restaurants? Mr Ramsey will ship his slop directly to my door in 48 hours or less.
If forced to travel to the USA a team of marketing grads haven't made it clear to me why i should go to Vegas.
kelseyfrog · 22m ago
Authenticity is the new currency, one that a living paradise of artificiality cannot cash out on.
The net-net is I'd rather go somewhere else next time.
The common response is to point out that, current political environment aside, it's because Vegas has become far more expensive in recent years.
In other words, they've decided to start targeting more wealthy customers.
So it doesn't matter if visitor numbers have dropped (not to the people running Vegas anyway). It only matters if profits have dropped. And I haven't seen any reports on this so far. Maybe profits are growing or stable?
Large corporate casino owners who can still benefit by making up the shortfall in visitors from high rollers who spend (and lose) bigger chunks of money gambling aren't the bulk of the overall Vegas tourist economy - which is mostly employees, suppliers and service providers whose income is driven more by "number of visitors" than "spend per visitor".
And it matters to the visitors who can't afford to go there anymore.
I just checked hotel prices and it does look damn cheap compared to anywhere in Europe. But I guess that's not what makes it expensive
I went for a niche conference a few weeks ago which was held at a lower-end 'budget' casino hotel off the strip and the actual room price per night was more than 2.5 times the relatively reasonable-seeming room rate I booked under due to resort fees, taxes and other bullshit.
Gambling? We've been able to do that via our phones since the mid 2010s.
Collect an interesting variety on venereal diseases? Same, smartphone compatible for a decade or more.
Celebrity fronted restaurants? Mr Ramsey will ship his slop directly to my door in 48 hours or less.
If forced to travel to the USA a team of marketing grads haven't made it clear to me why i should go to Vegas.