Las Vegas used to be for everyone. Now it’s for suckers.
Bagel and coffee at the Fontainebleau hotel? $33. Buffet at the Wynn? $75. Valet-parking at the Bellagio? $40/day. Tourists are fed up with inflation hitting Las Vegas and are voting with their wallets. I’m one of them…
Tourists Flee Las Vegas Due To Absurdly High Prices…Count Me In
An alarming stat for Las Vegas: visitor numbers have dropped every month this year when compared with 2024, (this according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority). So far in 2025, visitors are down 6.5% compared to 2024. Airport traffic and gaming revenue are also down. At Harry Reid International Airport:
- International arrivals were down 8.7% in May compared with the same month last year
- Total passenger numbers in May dropped 3.9% compared ot May 2024
- Overall air traffic is down 3.7% in 2025 compared to 2024
And can you blame folks for traveling elsewhere? Who wants to pay $26 bottle of water from a hotel minibar (at the Aria) or $25 for dinnerware with room service (at the MGM) or $60 to check-in three hours early (at the Flamingo)?
It’s too much…it’s simply not worthwhile whether you have money or not.
I understand that not everyone has time for an international trip over a weekend and Las Vegas provides a concentrated area for nice hotels, shows, and gaming. But as I think about where to take my own family, the answer on weekend getaways, my answer is certainly not Las Vegas.
Like shopping for groceries at Erewhon, even if I could afford it, I wouldn’t want it. Who wants to waste so much money on things like parking and meals when, at least for me in Southern California, there are so many better and cheaper options? And who wants to deal with scalding heat during the day and pesky crowds at night?
It’s no surprise that resorts and casinos want to attract more affluent people, but those people tend to have choices when they travel and can only be pushed so far. $25 cocktails and $200 steaks in Las Vegas? That’s madness.
CONCLUSION
I used to love going to Las Vegas growing up. Cheap steaks. Cheap buffets. Cheap hotels. It was the sort of place where, if you could deal with the cigarette smoke, you could enjoy some really good deals. That’s simply not the Las Vegas of 2024 and perhaps there were too many travelers like me who took advantage of the cheap amenities but did not gamble. But the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction.
These numbers have to represent warning signs for Sin City…people are voting with their wallets and the nickel and diming has gone too far. I just have no desire to overpay for virtually everything in Las Vegas and apparently I am not alone…
During the “revenge travel” era, tourist destinations got greedy – Disney World is going through similar struggles right now. These destinations won’t course-correct until guests stop showing up, and I think Vegas will revert back to reality in a year or so. The question is if they can win back the habit/goodwill of their traditional guests. For example, the traditional Vegas guest may have fallen in love with Cancun all-inclusives in the meantime.
I admit I’m surprised you were ever a Vegas fan, Matthew?
Well, he does mention he enjoyed how cheap aspects of it were, plus I imagine he and his family indulged in the family friendly aspect of Vegas and not the hedonistic side of it.
I’m not one to defend Las Vegas. I’ve been a handful of times, it’s… Las Vegas. But if you want to get to, say, Zion National Park, it’s a pretty convenient place to fly into. Just don’t spend your time on the strip, spend your time near the strip instead. Lots of amazing food at perfectly nice strip malls 5 minutes away from the strip. I stayed at the Rio with the family a few months ago in a huge refurbished room for under $100 with free self parking. Ate breakfast at a small locals diner two blocks away which was fantastic and the kids loved – with very reasonable prices. As your article notes, it’s not about the money, it’s about the value for money. You can still get value for money, just stay away from the strip. Same with NYC – it’s plenty expensive, but if you are just going to stay in Times Square and get gouged, you’ve missed the whole point.
The Rio is still an excellent deal in Las Vegas, whether in cash (Sunday – Friday) or points (Saturday – Sunday). If you are a Globalist, the excellent deal gets even better with free breakfast and free parking (when booking on points).
Rio is a city in Brasil .
Sim…… “A cidade maravilhosa mesmo ! “
There is not a city named Rio in Brazil,
The city in Brazil is Rio de Janeiro. The hotel&casino in Las Vegas is Rio.
I’d clarify you mean The Strip specifically, there’s a lot more of interest like the Arts district, Spring Mountain Road’s restaurants, Red Rock or Valley of Fire, etc… that’s still all priced quite fairly!
But yes, the Strip is ridiculous. My final straw was the end of MGM status matches & free parking at the few casinos that still did it
Late stage capitalism. More and more wealth has been concentrated at the top and all the companies are chasing the top 10%. They don’t care at all about the bottom 90% of us who can’t afford things. It’s not just Vegas but everywhere is chasing the richest folks. It’s not sustainable and I don’t know what the end game is, honestly. Only so many people can afford these things.
There are certain terms that, if I see them in a post, I know the post will be inane. They include “late-stage capitalism” and “patriarchy.” Suggesting that 90% of us are struggling? Nope. In the world particularly, but also in the US, things have never been better for the poor by any reasonable set of statistics.
Suckers. You said it, Matthew.
Don’t forget confiscatory “resort” fees. Agree with everything you have said here; I remember Vegas from the 80s and 90s and it was soooo much better. Cheap, good food; reasonably priced tables; cheap hotels; comped drinks and buffets for playing (even modestly). Those concepts are gone now. And the value proposition is gone too. Why go there now? It’s not even that nice anymore if you really look around. Sad wat greed can do. Just ask Disney.
Fees and high prices are for people with expense accounts. Gamblers don’t pay for any of that. There are still value opportunities in Las Vegas for the savvy travel or low budget gambler, but you have to look for it.
My visits are severely curtailed because it’s so tough to wring actual value from Las Vegas. For example I get emails and mailers for a certain hotel/casino where I play blackjack, generally for $100 a hand. The emails either offer me free nights or no resort fees but never both. Likewise, finding a high value buffet downtown or on the strip is a huge exercise in futility. Getting ripped off all the time really takes the fun out of visiting Vegas.
How do you not have a status level with that place that gets you no resort fees?
It’s The Golden Nugget. I’m not sure to be honest. I tend to visit once a year because I live in the eastern USA so I guess they value me at either free nights or no resort fees but not both.
Matthew – do you listen to the TBTL podcast because the one host mirrored your thoughts the other day. Vegas was his and his friends go to destination for fun trips for 20+ years. He was recently there for work (television) and said he will likely never return for pleasure as the pricing is out of control.
I did not. Will look it up.
I’ll see if I can find which episode. And I wasn’t implying you lifted his idea. He travels constantly and I thought maybe that common interest connected you with his show.
$1 beers and $1.50 Dogs at Stage Door
$3 Beers at Casino Royale
Ellis Island has great daily food and drink offers
CVS, ABC and Walgreens on every corner
Chik Fil A & Earl of Sandwich are under $10
Too low end?
Happy hour daily at almost every Cosmo Restaurant with higher end food specials
I agree some of the pricing has absolutely become insane, with examples you mentioned. But overall room prices, even with resort fees that can be avoided, are some of the lowest in the country. And at the Caesars properties are comped with even low level play.
The current weaker numbers aren’t enough for the casinos to change because enough people are still paying them. Check back in a year to see if anything changes.
It costs as much and sometimes more to reserve a cabana at the Venetian than it does to reserve a beach pavilion at Amanzoe – so, not hard to work out the ROI there
Four decades ago I remember having a business meeting at the Tropicana. During lunch break I would run across Tropicana Blvd to a small casino to play blackjack and enjoy 5 cent beers. Yes, five cents.
I’m not even asking for CHEAP … I’m just asking for REASONABLE!
I’m with you. I live in LA too and used to go a good 3-5 times a year easily. Now maybe 1 time a year and that is usually if some out of town friend happens to be there and I want to see them. But honestly, the price gouging is only part of it. Since I’ve lived in LA and been traveling there for the last 20 years, the level of service and upkeep has gone down the drain. You show up at the hotel and there is 2 check-in agents with 150 people waiting in line. You sit at a bar and (if they even pay attention to you..) you get ignored or snarky service. The room upkeep is mediocre and heaven forbid you have a legit issue (bedbugs, leftover garbage, broken A/C or TV etc…) you’ll be lucky if you see someone within hours of your calling.
My condolences on your ‘break-up’ …..
Just the WN terminal alone @ LAS was enough to turn me off.,… Very crowded …. An excess of slots, of course, but not enough toilets & ‘crappy’ (pun intended) restroomfacilities where there were queues in the mens room ….
Maybe people were ‘occupied’ by the slots in the stalls …. lol
My first job out of college was in Vegas working for one of the big 4 auditors. I owe a lot to Vegas. Deep down I will always love the city, but I haven’t been back in years at this point, and I don’t see any reason to go in the future.
Gunning for the wealthiest subset of the population just doesn’t make sense. Why would you go to Vegas on holiday when there’s a literal whole world out there that is more exciting that you have the means to see. I feel like Vegas should entertain the North American masses on the weekends while the rich (but not wealthy) play table games and spend money. During the week, it’s the domain of Europeans road-tripping the West. What it has become is insane. You can gamble anywhere now. Why pay the premium for an inferior experience in the Nevada desert?
I don’t mind cashing in points from my Citi card as I earn many through grocery shopping. But I get a lot of MGM GCs.
I’ve visited Vegas since the late 80’s and lived here full time since 1997. For a long time loved it. Plenty to do in and around the city at a very reasonable price. Very close to the great national parks in Utah and Arizona.
NO MORE! Haven’t been to the strip in years. Crowds and overpriced everything out of hand.
I live on a fixed income, social security, and do very little. Fortunately my Medicare pays for my gym membership. Otherwise I do very little so I can save as much as possible to get out of here. Looking at parts of N C., lower cost of living or N.H. I KNOW they’ll be snow but it’s 4 season, one the top 3 safest states and most of my family and my wife’s family live either MA. or N.H. MA out of the question. Taxaxhusetts. Absurd politicians and too many Massholes. Excellent public transportation is a MA plus in Boston area but Boston has Mayor Wu and she’s mentally challenged. U.S. SENATORS are Elizabeth Warren, aka Pocahontas. She lied about Ibdian heritage and John, Herman Munster, Kerry trophy husband of the ketchup queen, Theresa Heinz. By the way Herman you told us decades ago that by now there’d be no north poll icecap and polar bears would be extinct. liar, you didn’t know what you were talking about. By the way your private jet is dumping thousands of tons of co2 into the very atmosphere you claim to be protecting. That goes for Al Gore to. Another fear monger.
What on earth does that word salad have to do with the topic at hand?
seems like Philip baldwin has been hit in the head with too many polar icecaps…
Wondered why I just got a $299 return with Delta from ATL in September, and my 3 nights using HGVC points was discounted by 33% with a $79 co pay, no resort fees, for a 1 bedroom suite on floor 50-59 with free parking.
Seems a pretty good deal to me. Car rental for $150 and I’ll be eating breakfast in my kitchen and traveling to Spring Mountain area for all other meals.
I plan on getting out for less than $1000 for 3 nights.
My wife and I used to go to Vegas once or twice a year all the way from the east coast. Flights were reasonable, hotels and restaurants were cheap and plenty of things to do, even if you don’t gamble. Last time we went, about a year ago, we were shocked with how expensive it became. We don’t drive while we’re there, so we didn’t deal with the parking fees, but it seemed like the extra hotel fees were higher this time around. Not to mention the restaurants jacked up their prices a great deal. Love visiting Vegas, but it’s gotten too pricey.
On a side note, Canadians aren’t traveling to the States as much these days and Vegas has always been a huge destination for them. I’ve seen different figures with how much Canadian travel to the US has declined, so it wouldn’t surprise me if the drop in international travel was mostly because of them.
Check out Laughlin…gambling, shows, reasonable food and drink prices, free parking, and a beautiful River and Lake nearby. No traffic either. No BS’ers lining the sidewalks hawking whatever.
Vegas is facing the same challenge that Starbucks is facing.
What was once an “affordable luxury” is now neither affordable nor luxurious.
It used to be that you could go to Vegas, get a cheap room, then eat a couple of meals that were better than the best meal available in almost any city that wasn’t a top 10 media market at suburban prices. Now Vegas rooms and dining both are every bit as expensive as cities that have a lot more to offer.
Second-worst city in the United States after Los Angeles. Don’t bother.
I lost interest in Vegas when, for some unknown reason, I lost my affection for playing blackjack. I used to visit Vegas, and, even exploiting the deals back then, it was pricey relative to my income/wealth. I am at a point in my life where going to Vegas and paying all the extra fees and high prices is relatively cheap (vis-a-vis wealth/income). But, I just won’t play their game. I may fly F/J now, but I visit places that are good bargains.
I used to go to Vegas often – but now, it’s simply unaffordable. What IS affordable (now) is a cruise. Food used to be a “loss leader” in Vegas – now it’s a massive profit center. And hotel rooms (while still reasonable Sun-Thu) have gotten out of control. Not to mention the parking fees (!). I go very rarely now; more’s the pity. But until visitor numbers decline even more? They’re going to keep hiking the rates on everything. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. As long as you have the money, that is.