So you want to go to the Super Bowl this weekend. Even if you're not a football fan, you might find it hard to resist this year's spectacle of professional sports and top-notch entertainment in Las Vegas.
When the San Francisco 49ers take on the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, some of the best players of their generation will be on the field, including Nick Bosa, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. Off the field, celebrities such as Usher (halftime headliner), Luke Combs, Adele and Wu-Tang Clan will be in town, but these are just the acts scheduled for the weekend. Monika Beltaki, chief marketing officer for Harry Reid International Airport, said she expects a large number of people to arrive this weekend, but will not be able to fly to Harry Reid, North Las Vegas or Henderson Executive Airport. admitted that there is no parking space for the plane. It's going to be a party.
If you can afford to go. Super Bowl XV may be the most expensive to attend when you factor in flights, lodging, various travel expenses, and admission to Allegiant Stadium.
As of Tuesday, people were paying a median of $8,776 per ticket, thousands of dollars more than recent Super Bowl games, according to data from ticket market Vivid Seat. Driving demand are the potential attendance of Taylor Swift, one of the smallest stadiums in the National Football League in terms of capacity, and the first Super Bowl in Las Vegas. There are many factors including the fact that the event will be held.
“Super Bowl prices go up and down, but this one will be historically high,” said Malcolm Robinson, owner of Houston Ticket Brokers, where tickets cost more than $8,000. .
As for this year's event, “billionaires will have a hard time parking their planes,” he said.
Want to join this crowd? Let's run the numbers.
Let's say you live in Houston and want to arrive in Las Vegas on Saturday, February 10th, the day before a big game, and leave the next day, Monday, February 12th. You're not alone; airlines like American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines are adding domestic flights to meet demand. It has not improved costs. Airfares remain significantly higher than on a typical weekend to Las Vegas, and about 112 percent higher than the same weekend last year, according to data from online travel agency Priceline.
One of the cheapest flights available from Houston, according to an online search Tuesday, was a nonstop, round-trip ticket from George Bush Intercontinental Airport to Harry Reid Airport on Spirit Airlines for $563 (tax included). It turned out that there was no baggage.
Las Vegas isn't without a shortage of hotel rooms (there are about 151,000, according to the city's tourism board), but bookings and prices are skyrocketing. Booking website trivago reports that Las Vegas hotel prices rose 140 percent in February compared to the same month last year, and Priceline estimates the average cost of a hotel room in Las Vegas is $376. According to the calculation, it comes out to be $752.
But reservations for two nights at an Extended Stay America hotel room about 2.5 miles from the Las Vegas Strip were starting at $498, found Tuesday.
Using the ride-hailing app to get to and from the Houston and Las Vegas airports could cost around $40 each way, according to Uber's estimating tool. Realistically, these prices are inflated in Las Vegas, so round up to the nearest $200 (if you're lucky). Also, during peak crowd times, you may have to travel back and forth from your extended stay room to the stadium and all ground transportation costs can be kept at a minimum of about $300.
You need to eat, and some local websites estimate that tourists pay about $125 a day to eat at mid-range restaurants, based on the Visitor Profile Report compiled by the Tourism, Convention and Visitors Bureau in 2021. We estimate that it is, so we will need to add an additional $250.
Now, about that ticket…
Add these up and you'll get $1,611 for game day weekend, making it one of the cheapest travel deals. This does not include alcohol, gambling, or tickets to the actual match.
Robinson, of Houston Ticket Brokers, said part of the reason for the high ticket prices is the way the stadium's seating is organized. “At Allegiant Stadium, we have a lot of VIP areas, like on-field tables, suites, club areas, so everything is at a premium, which makes it a little bit different than other Super Bowls. They just didn't have cheap seats.”
The attractiveness of the host city itself may also be contributing to the soaring ticket prices.
“People often travel to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl, even when it's not being held in Las Vegas, just to gamble or watch the game,” he says. “Las Vegas hosts the Super Bowl every year.”
Other ticketing companies are experiencing similar spikes. A search for the cheapest single ticket on Ticketmaster on Tuesday found seats for $6,800. Don't forget the fees. After deducting the only $3 processing fee and his $1,445 special service fee, the total amount comes to $8,248.
On online ticket marketplace TickPick, the average purchase price of a Super Bowl ticket listed is $9,835, including fees, 70 percent higher than last year's average price of $5,795. According to the company, the largest purchase to date on TickPick was six tickets (Section 336) for $14,810 each, for a total of $88,860.
“We expect trading activity to increase further as the week progresses,” said Brett Goldberg, TickPick's co-chief executive officer. “When you host America's biggest sporting event in one of its most iconic cities, it ultimately impacts ticket prices, regardless of who plays.”
Add these up, and regardless of how much money travelers save by leaving the Strip, a two-night trip to Super Bowl LVIII could cost at least about $9,859 per person. It's perfect for warming up some popcorn in the microwave and having something to bite into while sitting on the couch and watching the big game from home.
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