No nickel-and-diming here: Mesquite touts value over Las Vegas

It’s all about providing value and resistance to nickel-and-diming customers that they say is prevalent in Las Vegas through resort fees and paid self-parking.

While visitor volume is down 8 percent to 22.6 million in the first seven months of 2025 in Las Vegas, it’s actually up 6 percent to 859,000 in Laughlin. It’s down just 2.1 percent to 508,000 in this town that has built a reputation as a high-value golf getaway, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which monitors tourism in Laughlin and Mesquite as well as Las Vegas.

“It’s an hour drive to kind of decompress a little bit and it doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg,” said Tom Jannarone, general manager of Mesquite Entertainment, which operates the CasaBlanca and Virgin River resorts. “It’s not like you’re getting robbed.”

Jannarone knows Las Vegas well. He helped open The Mirage with Steve Wynn in 1989 and regularly makes the commute to Mesquite from his Henderson home.

Mesquite metrics up

While Mesquite volume is still below 2024 numbers, other key tourism metrics are flourishing. The average daily room rate in Mesquite is at $91.83 a night over the past seven months, up 9.4 percent over last year. Gross gaming revenue is up 5.9 percent to $118.4 million over seven months, according to the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

What that tells Jannarone and Mesquite Entertainment’s vice president of marketing and advertising, Andy Falkof, is that tourists are discovering Mesquite as a preferable getaway, especially if you’re a golfer or a gambler.

Jannarone said unlike Laughlin, whose resorts haven’t made as many major investments in room and property improvements, Mesquite Entertainment has spent millions to spruce up CasaBlanca and will soon open StrEATwalk, a food court that will add casual dining options for visitors. It’ll pair with Katherine’s Steakhouse & Lounge, CasaBlanca’s main fine dining outlet that has a bar with wines, whiskeys and bourbons that Jannarone said would match up with any of Las Vegas’ best bars – and offers bottles and flights for a fraction of the Las Vegas cost.

“We’re at a moment where people are certainly seeking out destinations such as this, a little bit further outside the norm, but with great value, great quality, and we’re very happy to deliver,” Falkof said.

‘Friendliness factor’

Jannarone said Mesquite ranks high with the “friendliness factor,” and as he took a walk through CasaBlanca’s casino, he stopped and chatted with patrons, addressing them by name.

“When we speak to customers, we find they enjoy the quality of the food, they really enjoy the quality of the service, and they brag about the price point. Because if you go to a bar at any major Strip property and order a beer, it might cost you $12 or $15. While here, we’re at $3, $3.50. And I think one of the things that you just pointed out is the service and the friendliness. When I look at customer feedback, I see the friendliness factor. We’re just continuing what we do and trying to do it even better and deliver that amazing customer experience.”

Mesquite Mayor Jesse Whipple, a lifelong resident of Mesquite, remembers the sticker shock he experienced when Las Vegas casinos began charging for self-parking and the first time he was ever asked to pay a resort fee.

“I remember the first time I went to Vegas and had to pay for parking, it was like, ‘What the hell’s going on here?’ Whipple said. “I had been going to Vegas my whole life and never had to pay for parking.”

And he had never heard of a resort fee before coming to Las Vegas.

Whipple, a member of the LVCVA board of directors, hopes the new “Las Vegas Fabulous” advertising campaign will change the public perception that value can be found in Las Vegas if you’re willing to look for it.

“It seems like they’re starting to make the change,” Whipple said of Las Vegas resorts. “They are making the effort to do that and let people know that there are affordable options. So I think everybody looks at the Strip as $300, $400, $500 a night and $20 tables. And from across the country, that’s what you see and that’s kind of what the perception has been.”

But in the meantime, Whipple is happy that Mesquite has held to its value proposition and that Californians traveling to Utah’s national parks are stopping and staying in Mesquite. He acknowledges that there isn’t as much to do in Mesquite than Las Vegas, but it seems value is what consumers are looking for.

“Mesquite is a very safe city,” he said. “It’s a quiet city. It’s very convenient. You can get anywhere in town in five to 10 minutes. If you love to golf, there’s that. If you love to gamble, there’s that. And it’s more affordable than you’re going to get in Vegas.”

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