Resorts planning to cash in on CES with convention room rates

After enduring a lackluster financial performance in 2025, Las Vegas resorts appear to be attempting to cash in on room rates for the first major convention of 2026 based on a survey conducted by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

When CES opens in Las Vegas on Jan. 6, guests of local hotels and resorts will pay an average $262.14 a night for a room and $112.90 a night for a room in downtown Las Vegas.

Those averages were calculated following a survey conducted Dec. 24 of Las Vegas hotel rooms advertised on Hotels.com. The Review-Journal gathered room rates from 158 hotels, including 21 in downtown Las Vegas.

While the average rate wasn’t as high as the nightly rate guests were asked to pay to stay over four days that included New Year’s Eve, the high-end properties were seeking considerably more per night than they did for New Year’s.

Over the holiday, a similar survey of 111 properties found the average cost of a room per night from Dec. 31 through Jan. 4 was $293.82 a night.

In the same survey, from 19 downtown Las Vegas properties, the average price was $194.79 a night.

While the average cost was lower, the high-end resorts sought considerably more per night.

More than $1,000 a night

The highest rate listed on the survey was $1,207 a night at the Waldorf Astoria within MGM’s CityCenter. One other property exceeded $1,000 a night — Prestige Club suites at The Venetian, $1,049 a night.

The Strip’s top luxury properties were not shy about asking for big bucks. Among the prices: Aria $951 a night, the Prestige Club suites at Palazzo, $945 a night, Crockfords at Resorts World Las Vegas $862, Wynn and Encore Las Vegas $849, Vdara $812, Four Seasons $752, Bellagio $707, Caesars Palace $575, Mandalay Bay $518, Hilton Resorts World Las Vegas $682, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas $653, Trump $607, the W $577, Westgate $554 and Marriott Grand Chateau $539.

Even some off-Strip properties got in on the act: Palms Place’s Stripview suites $961 a night, JW Marriott $559, Virgin Hotel Las Vegas $522 and Durango $359.

The highest-priced downtown Las Vegas property was Element at Symphony Park, $467 a night.

Downtown properties generally were more reserved with many offering rates under $100 a night. Among them: Plaza $98 a night, Four Queens $94, El Cortez $92, the D $66 and Golden Gate $53.

140,000 for CES

CES, a massive Consumer Electronics Show, will bring an estimated 140,000 people to the city for the second-largest trade-show gathering of the year behind fall’s Automotive Aftermarket events.

CES, launched in New York City in 1967, is an annual event that is not open to the public. It’s known for introducing new consumer electronics gadgets, including the videocassette recorder in 1970, the camcorder in 1981, high-definition television in 1998, the Xbox in 2001 and the Blu-ray Disc in 2003.

Sponsored by the Arlington, Virginia-based Consumer Electronics Association, CES 2026 will be staged in Las Vegas Jan. 6-9 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, The Venetian Expo and at convention facilities at Aria. Two days of media previews are planned Jan. 4-5 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.

Trade show floors will open at 10 a.m. at the Las Vegas Convention Center and The Venetian Expo on show days. A series of keynote addresses by executives of top companies are scheduled during the show, and CTA Vice Chairman and CEO Gary Shapiro is expected to deliver a state-of-the-industry address in the show’s opening day.

CES will be the first show to use the Las Vegas Convention Center after a $600 million renovation being completed this month. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority plans a special ceremony to open the renovated area Jan. 5.

Las Vegas resort executives have said they expect 2026 to be a record year for conventions, trade shows and group business and have looked to CES as the launch of that big year.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.