The Las Vegas Strip faces a massive problem it created

Fewer people are visiting the Las Vegas Strip and it's easy to see why.

By Dana Sullivan Kilroy

TheStreet

Once upon a time, Las Vegas was celebrated as a bargain destination — cheap rooms, budget meals, and free attractions. But much like Disney World, the Las Vegas Strip has become so costly that even travelers who love these popular destinations are balking.

According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, visitor numbers in early 2025 fell short of expectations, with bookings described by gaming recruiter Mark Wayman as “the worst I’ve ever seen,” per SF Gate. At Harry Reid International Airport, domestic air traffic dropped 4 percent in the first half of 2025 compared to 2024, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Yes, there are mitigating factors like uncertainty around tariffs and general unease about the American economy, but those factors aside, room rates have shot up dramatically over the last few years, and the rise in prices may be keeping visitors away.

Rising prices on Las Vegas Strip may deter visitors

Through-the-roof room rates

From 2015 to early 2025, average nightly room rates for Las Vegas Strip hotels climbed from about $124 to roughly $210 — an increase of nearly 70 percent, according to MorningStar.

In January 2025, average rates approached $200 a night at MGM and Caesars properties, reflecting steady year-over-year growth.

The average room rate for a hotel on the Las Vegas Strip overall is $214, according to Kayak, although it's possible to find decent deals if you're visiting mid-week vs. a weekend. The sheer number of special events, including concerts, NFL and NHL games, plus F1 can also make room rates volatile.

Las Vegas resort fees shock visitors

The room fee is one thing, but what travelers often don’t realize until check‑out is the “resort fee” — a mandatory add-on that can turn advertised deals into sticker shock. On the Strip, resort fees typically range from $45 to $55 per night before tax, climbing to around $62 with tax at luxury properties like Aria, Bellagio, Wynn, and Resorts World.

That means even a $129 room can cost $190 or more. Of 90 surveyed hotels in 2025, the average resort fee was $40.04 before tax — an 11 percent increase year-over-year.

Cost of a visit to Las Vegas compared to Disney World

Both destinations have shifted strategies: Vegas and Disney push premium experiences and aim to extract more revenue per guest.

Families visiting Disney World could spend over $1,500 daily on park tickets, food, and extras (although that number is not typical. Nobody will cause a Disney visit cheap, but prices have held relatively steady for the past few years.

Las Vegas Strip resorts, restaurants, and experiences, however, has been raising prices almost across the board.

Vegas visitors face $25 cocktails, $100 buffets, high resort fees, and price-gouging in-room charges, like $26 bottles of water and $10 travel-size toothpaste in hotel shops (I just experienced this sticker shock last month). That does not even consider the high price of tickets for shows and big-name residencies.

These hikes risk alienating middle‑class travelers — the same guests who made both destinations explode onto the global stage.

Signs of a softening market are emerging.

In early March, Station Casinos rolled out a retro deal: a cheeseburger and fries for $5.99. In his Las Vegas Advisor newsletter, publisher Anthony Curtis wondered, ”Has hell frozen over?” He was right to ask — Vegas hasn’t historically promoted value like this unless it’s desperate to fill rooms. That deal, surprisingly, is still available.

Meanwhile, Sahara Las Vegas launched an “All‑In Rate Experience” — starting at $69 per night with no resort fee, late check out, free room upgrade and free valet, plus a $25 dining credit included — available through October 2025. Even Resorts World temporarily waived its resort fee, a first for the Strip.

What price hikes on the Strip mean for visitors to Las Vegas

Las Vegas still reigns as an entertainment capital, and Disney remains the pinnacle of family dining and rides. But both are pushing pricing to the point where visitors are pausing — and sometimes refusing — to play.

In inflation‑weary times with consumer credit stretched thin, perceived value is rising. Travelers may now prioritize downtown casinos with no resort fees, off‑Strip stays, or alternate destinations altogether.

Like Disney World, the Las Vegas Strip risks pricing out the very demographic that built it. Without more transparent pricing, fewer hidden fees, and real bargains, tourism in Sin City appears headed for a prolonged cooldown.