LV resorts make few changes for holidays

By Liz Benston (contact)

Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2003 | 11:27 a.m.

While many tourists spend the holidays at home with their families this week, Ken Van Vechten will be driving to Las Vegas in search of deals.

Van Vechten, a freelance travel writer from Riverside, Calif., has traveled with his family to Las Vegas around the Christmas holiday for the past four years.

"(Lower room) rates are a big reason, but we'd probably go regardless," said Van Vechten, who recently stayed at Harrah's. "Even though a lot of the shows are dark and some restaurants are closed, you just don't have the mob scene."

The roughly two weeks after the National Finals Rodeo event and before Christmas is the only truly slow time of year in Las Vegas, which otherwise has some major concert, convention or other event to draw hordes to the Strip.

So what do resorts do to prop up revenue during this historically low period?

Besides special menu items and holiday decorations, not much, resorts say.

"We do decorate, we do acknowledge the holiday," said Gordon Absher, spokesman for the Mandalay Bay casino resort.

The property doesn't otherwise market to customers during the period before the New Year's holiday, even to fill hotel rooms during the slow period, he said.

The exception is the property's new hotel tower, which has been advertised separately, he said. The 1,128-room tower opened this month and was nearly sold out last weekend, he said.

While the crowds have gone home, the bargain-hunters are out in force.

Lowering room rates is the extent of Las Vegas' marketing strategy during the holiday slump, said Anthony Curtis, publisher of the Las Vegas Advisor newsletter.

"They don't have to do much more to bring them in," Curtis said. "Everybody drops their rates ... and they hope for the best."

Van Vechten said he likes to check out different hotels and venues and seeks deals across the economic spectrum.

"We always try new restaurants while we're there, from the $4.99 steak special to Charlie Palmer's at the Four Seasons," he said. "It's nice saving the money."

Some resorts will be offering special meals for the holidays.

The Palms hotel-casino and properties in the Station Casinos Inc. chain are offering both Hanukkah and Christmas-theme buffets this week to draw customers.

Customers can find such Jewish delicacies as matzo ball soup, gefilte fish and potato latkes at Station casinos, for example. For Christmas, Station customers can spend a dollar or two more than usual for a more upscale spread of turkey, Virginia ham, roast prime rib and wine at the buffet line.

The Hanukkah buffet isn't typical for Las Vegas but has drawn interest from locals as well as visitors, the Palms' Marketing Director Sheri Long said.

"We've even had calls from L.A. about it," she said.

Bellagio has decorated its atrium with a bridge over a frozen lake, complete with manufactured snow. The buffet will also offer a fixed-price buffet on Christmas Day. MGM Grand also will offer a special buffet with legs of lamb, honey-baked ham, squash and other items typically at home on the dining room table.

The meals are an effort to make customers feel at home but aren't anything close to the concerted marketing effort that resorts keep up the rest of the year, Curtis said.

"They're not trying to one-up each other," he said.