Paul Szydelko
Tickets are still available and room rates are dropping for the inaugural Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix less than eight weeks away.
As of press time (Sept. 26), the event's website shows that general admission and private suites for the 10 p.m. Nov. 18 race are sold out, but grandstand, premium clubs and luxury hospitality clubs tickets are still on sale.
One of the Luxury Hospitality Clubs is the Wynn Grid Club. Packages starting at $150,000 include a four-night stay in a one- or two-bedroom suite at Wynn or Encore and access to the 1920s-themed Grid Club with an exceptional view of the race.
Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, near the East Harmon Zone, the Paddock Zone and Pit Building, also has three packages: the Paddock Club ($150,000), the Skybox ($40,000) and the Grandstand ($22,000). All include four nights' accommodations.
Also off-Strip and on Turn 4 of the circuit, Ellis Island is offering ticket-room packages beginning at $5,000. Email turn4@ellisnv.com or call (702) 733-8901, ext. 289, for more information.
Resorts World is offering room packages that include the Paddock Club ($40,000), Skybox Suite ($21,500) and the T-Mobile Zone at Sphere Grandstand ($6,500). Call (702) 676-7388 for more information.
Room rates fall
For those looking for accommodations to be near the F1 experience but not tickets to view the event, room rates have dropped by almost 60% at some resorts since prices were first posted last fall, according to a report in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Because rates were historically high when they were first posted, a market correction could have been expected and doesn't necessarily indicate a lack of interest in the event, according to a University of Nevada, Las Vegas, expert quoted in the story.
"It is not unusual to be overly optimistic about the optimal room rates for such first-time events, especially when comparative predictive analytics data is limited," Mehmet Erdem, professor of hotel operations and technology at UNLV's William F. Harrah College of Hospitality, told the Review-Journal.
Trees cut down
Trees in front of the Fountains of Bellagio, which have provided rare shade on the Strip for more than two decades, have been cut down to accommodate a massive grandstand for the race, sparking some lament on social media.
"This work is part of preparations for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, and our efforts to provide the best possible experience through improved visibility, mobility and pedestrian access and safety," MGM Resorts International, Bellagio's parent company, said in a statement provided to the Nevada Independent.
The decision sparked a petition calling on the company to pledge to plant new trees elsewhere in the Las Vegas valley.
Streets upgraded
Work continues on new asphalt to meet F1 standards on the 3.8-mile circuit, which includes parts of the Strip, Harmon Avenue and Koval Lane. Street closures for the repaving and associated detours have caused consternation for both tourists and locals for months, as detailed in a story on LVsportsbiz.com.
Three temporary pedestrian bridges and three temporary vehicular bridges will also be installed throughout the corridor to ease traffic the week of the race.
Clark County, which includes the Las Vegas Strip, and race organizers even created a website to keep motorists up to date on street closures. Those who must navigate the streets in the next two months can also text F1LV to 31996 to receive a link to see maps, the latest traffic updates and answers to frequently asked questions.
Outside looking in
Watching TV coverage will likely be the best option, but race fans without tickets may be scouting at least a dozen other public vantage points to view the race, and even those areas will be charging a premium.
Formula 1 initially demanded clubs and restaurants with terraces and roof decks along the circuit to pay licensing fees of about $1,500 a head the evening of the race, according to a report in the New York Post. That would have meant a fee of $2.5 million for a venue with a capacity of 1,500. Following criticism from the businesses, a revised plan reduced the fee to about $50,000 for each such venue.
A story in the Review-Journal in May noted that several restaurants along the circuit, including Giada at The Cromwell and Eiffel Tower in Paris Las Vegas, had already been bought out for race day.