SOLD OUT OR NOT, PARTY IN VEGAS
Sin City books celebrities, VIP’s coming for Mayweather-McGregor fight night
The fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor may not have sold out yet, but that won’t stop Las Vegas from putting on its party hat.
Sin City’s nightclubs have booked a long list of celebrities-including one of the fighters-and high-rolling gamblers and VIPs have snagged some of the most luxurious accommodations in town. Boxing-themed cocktails have even been concocted for the occasion.
The social media-fueled Saturday night fight at the T-Mobile Arena will be a weekend-long, citywide affair, though in some respects it may not tip the scales as much as a previous Mayweather fight.
“It’s going to be a crazy weekend,” said Ryan Thompson, senior vice president and regional chief marketing officer for Caesars Entertainment, whose Planet Hollywood, The Cromwell and Caesars Palace casino-resorts on the Las Vegas Strip have a few rooms available. “The energy over that weekend is going to be on par with a New Year’s Eve in the city.”
Caesars and MGM Resorts International, which owns the fight’s venue, expect their properties to sell out as the weekend approaches. But unlike the bullish market created by Mayweather’s fight with Manny Pacquiao in May 2015 in Las Vegas, hotel rooms are still available.
The MGM Grand has cut its prices for the weekend three times, with a two-night stay now at $329 a night. Rooms at several other hotels on the Strip can still be found for $200 or less a night.
Many VIPs and high-rolling gamblers need not worry about prices, they will be “comped” with free hotel rooms and tickets, as it is customary. Others not so lucky-but certainly with deep pockets-have booked the most lavish accommodations on the Strip.
The villas at Caesars Palace (starting at $25,000 a night) and Nobu Hotel at Caesars Palace ($35,000 a night and previously used by the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Johnny Depp) have been claimed for the weekend.
“We get a ton of requests for tickets. We have plenty of our high-end players and guests who come in specifically for the event,” Thompson said. “We put them up for the weekend and they will be attending the fight. We like to take care of our best guests.” /