CES leaves Pahrump, Laughlin, Mesquite room rates alone
During CES, room rates skyrocket at Las Vegas’ megaresorts and small roadside inns.
But not everyone jacks up their prices during the massive consumer-electronics show next month. And if you want those rooms, be ready for a hefty drive in each day.
Room rates in the quiet, outlying communities of Pahrump, Laughlin and Mesquite aren’t too different during CES 2020 compared with the following week, as seen on Hotels.com. Prices dip for at least a few properties after the tech convention leaves, but at several other hotels, rates are flat or even climb a bit.
By comparison, room rates in Las Vegas often drop by hundreds of dollars once CES is gone. The median booking price this month for a Las Vegas hotel room during the conference is $273, compared with $120 the week after, according to figures from travel site Hipmunk.
Produced by the Consumer Technology Association, CES is scheduled to run Jan. 7-10 at 11 venues on or near the Strip. It is the largest trade show in Las Vegas, drawing an expected 170,000-plus attendees — a medium-sized city that piles in, then out, for a week of gadgetry.
Hotel operators cash in with eye-popping room rates, though it’s unclear how many CES-goers opt for cheaper lodging an hour or two away.
“We get some; I wouldn’t say a lot,” said Chris Lazzara, vice president of marketing and advertising at hotel-casino operator Mesquite Gaming.
He said attendees don’t stay in Mesquite because their employers might be paying for the trip, “but we do see a handful, especially if they’re golfers.”
Anthony Lucas, a casino management professor at UNLV’s college of hospitality, said the driving time, the inconvenience of staying far outside Las Vegas and the minimal concern for price make it “not very common” for CES attendees to venture into rural Southern Nevada for a room.
There are probably some attendees paying their own way who stay in those cheaper hotels, but they don’t make up a big chunk of the conference, he said, noting CES attracts numerous Fortune 500 companies and plenty of international conventioneers.
Consumer Technology Association spokeswoman Sarah Brown said, in part, that the group does not have “any information on who or how many people stay in remote hotels.”
About 60 miles west of Las Vegas, the rural community of Pahrump is known for libertarian leanings, widespread gun ownership and legal brothels outside of town. A room at the Saddle West, which boasts “the best cheeseburger in Pahrump,” costs $69 a night both during CES and the week after.
A room at the Pahrump Nugget, meanwhile, costs $88 a night during the convention but jumps to $121 a night the week after, according to Hotels.com.
Mesquite, a city of 19,000 about 80 miles northeast of the Strip, has golfing and a higher-than-average share of seniors. A room at the Best Western there costs $109 a night during CES and $103 the next week. At the Eureka, a room is $87 per night during the convention but $96 a night the week after.
Laughlin, a small community about 100 miles southeast of Las Vegas, has a string of casinos along the Colorado River. The town, popular with retirees who drive in, offers low-priced rooms, buffets and plenty of sunshine and open desert.
According to Hotels.com, a room at Harrah’s Laughlin costs $31 a night both during CES and the week after, and just $14 a night both weeks at the Colorado Belle.
Contact Eli Segall at esegall@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0342. Follow @eli_segall on Twitter.