Convention officials see visitor count climbing for Labor Day

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority forecasts the number of visitors spending the three-day Labor Day weekend in town will rise 3.6 percent rise from a year earlier.

The 291,000 people would help boost hotel occupancy by 2.2 points, to 91 percent. This comes as 1,100 more rooms have come on line to bring the city's total to 149,930.

However, according to a survey by J.P. Morgan & Co., average room rates will decline 3 percent, even after midweek rates shot up 32 percent. Still, the authority estimates that total nongaming spending will rise 3.9 percent, to
$178.7 million.

Last-minute rates for Saturday night, substantially more expensive than Friday or Sunday, included Planet Hollywood Resort at $339, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas at $400, Mandalay Bay at $330, South Point at $149, Paris Las Vegas at $250, the Four Queens at $139 and a sellout at the Gold Coast.