The annual Visitor Profile Study by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is heaven for a data dork like me. It’s 50 pages of numbers to read that may or may not provide insight into who visits Las Vegas and how and where they spend time and money.
Some things never change. Almost nobody stays in a complimentary or discounted hotel room. The last time I wrote about this for TravelZork was 2024, and not much has changed.
Before I dive into some of the numbers, I want to give a heads-up that, like all surveys, this uses a small sample size to approximate the average. Not every one of the 38.5 million visitors last year was surveyed. Consider the numbers a ballpark figure instead of an exact number.
In 2025, more people paid the regular room rate in Las Vegas than in any of the previous five years. 62% of people paid whatever the advertised rate was on casino websites without using comps or OTA’s.
That’s a substantial increase from 2022, when only 50% of visitors were paying the regular rate.
Last year, visitors who didn’t have a comp room or book a package deal paid $174.52 per night. That’s almost $4 less than in 2024, but $20 more than in 2022.
Even though 8% of all visitors were in Las Vegas for a convention, only 2% paid the convention rate. It might sound backwards, but convention rates are rarely discounted from advertised rates. Unless a room block is required for a convention, some companies will look elsewhere to save money.
Only 13% Of Visitors Stayed In Complimentary Rooms
The fact that so few people stay in comp rooms always surprises TravelZork readers, who rarely pay for rooms. Last year, just 13% of all hotel guests in Las Vegas stayed in a comp room.
This isn’t an anomaly, and it’s actually the average of the two previous years. It’s also an increase from 2021, when only 9% stayed in comp rooms.
What surprises me the most is that only 7% book at the discount casino rates. Another 4% booked on other special rates.
One of the best beginner perks from signing up for a casino rewards program is discounted hotel rooms. 90% of visitors last year have been to Las Vegas before, so they know the drill and decided not to book discounted rooms. However, 42% decided to book through an OTA.
Less Than Half The Visitors Went Downtown, The Lowest In Five Years
Last year, only 42% of visitors went to downtown Las Vegas. That’s the lowest amount in five years. For comparison, 58% went downtown in 2022.
Only 42% went downtown to see the Fremont Street Experience. This is way down from 2021, when 59% visited for that reason.
14% of those who visited downtown were staying there. That’s up from 9% in 2021.
12% visited downtown specifically to gamble. That’s up from 8% last year.
The reasons for not visiting downtown are the same I’ve heard from friends IRL and online. 37% had no interest in going, and another 31% said it’s either inconvenient or they didn’t have enough time.
The reasons make sense when you see that 69% of all visitors stay at a hotel on the Vegas Strip. Not everyone wants to take the time to travel to and from downtown or other off-strip casinos during their visit that may only be a few days.
If there’s a positive for downtown, it’s that 69% of Gen Z visitors went downtown. This is the youngest demographic tracked and could be a sign for a turnaround. “The kids” visitation downtown was much higher than that of the millennial geezers. Only 39% visited downtown.
Speaking of geezers. Gen X (my age) and boomers are no longer being surveyed by the LVCVA. Thoughts and prayers.
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