People planning to visit Las Vegas for the 2022 NFL draft can expect to pay up to three times what it was in May for a night on the Strip.
Las Vegas will hold both the NFL draft and the Pro Bowl next year. The 2020 NFL draft has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The city will host the 2022 NFL draft April 28-30, while the Pro Bowl is slated for February 8.
Paris Las Vegas is offering rooms starting at $ 574 on the night of Friday, April 29, three times the starting price of $ 189 rooms that Friday, according to Hotels.com. At the Mirage, prices rise 164 percent to $ 499 over the same period, while rooms at the Wynn Las Vegas rise 95 percent to $ 699, and Venetian prices rise from 269 to 409 US dollars.
“It’s going to be a very big weekend,” said Alan Feldman, a distinguished contributor to the UNLV’s International Gaming Institute. “It’s a very much vaunted event, and the fact that it’s going to be back in full force for the first time in Las Vegas is going to be an incredible kind of turbo boost. I think it’s going to be a big deal for all the right reasons. “
Fill hotel rooms
Jon Barker, NFL head of live event production, said the league will re-examine plans for the 2020 draft in Las Vegas. The city had agreed to build a stage on the red carpet over the Bellagio Fountain, on which boats carried players and their families to and from the stage.
Major events like the draft have drawn thousands of visitors to Las Vegas in the past – resulting in soaring room prices – and the draft is likely to be no exception.
“I would expect the hotels to be at full capacity,” Feldman said.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to play a role in the price gap too, as Las Vegas rooms have not yet fully accessed prepandemic rates. A recent report by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority found that the average daily room rate on the Strip was $ 104.40 in March, a 34 percent year-over-year decrease.
“Exciting time” for Las Vegas
Feldman expects sports betting to have their hands full during the draft, which typically draws thousands of soccer fans. In 2019, more than 600,000 fans attended NFL draft events in Nashville.
“When the NFL has a big event (in Las Vegas), you tend to get more casino customers into the mix,” Feldman said. “You’re going to get a lot of people into futures bets. … It’s going to be an exciting time to be here. “
Chris Holdren, co-president of Caesars Sports and Online Gaming at Caesars Entertainment Inc., said the Reno-based company is “excited” that the design will be in Las Vegas next year. The NFL Draft Main Stage and NFL Draft Experience both take place at the Caesars Forum Conference Center.
“Las Vegas is uniquely positioned to host an NFL draft event that is bigger and better than ever,” Holdren said via email. “As the NFL’s first casino partner and official sports betting partner, we value our partnership with the league and look forward to bringing it to life on our home field in Las Vegas.”
MGM spokesman Brian Ahern said the company is also looking forward to the Las Vegas design.
“Like everyone else, we were disappointed that the 2020 event had to be closed,” he said via email. “We can’t wait to show NFL fans around the world how to throw a party.”
Spokesman for the strip operator Las Vegas Sands Corp. and Wynn Resorts Ltd. did not respond to requests for comment.
The review journal is owned by the family of Sheldon Adelson, the late chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corp.
Contact Bailey Schulz at bschulz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @bailey_schulz on Twitter.
