Room availability November Marathon...

My brother is in the planning stage to run in a marathon in Las Vegas on Sunday Nov. 12, 2017. It is his understanding that there will be in excess of 50k participants. He is planning on staying at the Four Queens and is worried that he won't get a room flight seeing as he cannot book this early. I told him Not to worry...that to keep an eye on the Southwest and Four Queens sites and book as soon as November is available. I am assuming that while 50,000 people is large Las Vegas can handle that influx easily? Should he be worried about getting a room?

 

He shouldn't have a problem, especially if he is booking early. *Rates* might be higher and flights may be tighter that Monday. Many people on this board will tell you to book early and keep an eye on prices.

50k is nothing by Vegas standards. To put it in context, here are some of the projected convention crowds this year :
AAIW 10/31-11/03 160,000
ConExpo-Con/Agg 3/07-3/11 129,000
NAB 4/24-4/27 103,000
SHOT Show 1/23-1/26, 2018 64,500
World of Concrete 1/23-1/26, 2018 60,000
(I don't have the numbers for CES but that is always north of 120,000, I believe)

If Vegas can handle the crowds for the Super Bowl, they can handle the marathon.

 

Why can't he book the room now? Looks like at most a 72hr cancellation policy for 4Q. Based on my experience, most other hotels would have similar policies. Just make sure you're avoiding a fully prepaid rate.

 

I ran the marathon about 10 yrs ago. No issues with rooms or flights - in fact we were in town last NOV and watched some of the runners as they passed El Cortez and Container Park. Room rates were somewhat higher that week, but not sure the marathon had anything to do with it, particularly since it doesn't start anywhere near downtown. If flights are a problem, you can always come a few days early (recommended) and leave a few days later. You still have enough time to train and run with your brother!

 

I ran it last year spur of the moment. Me and my wife booked Cromwell no earlier than 4 weeks out if I recall. No problem.

 

Thanks all, I suspected that the 50k number wouldn't cause much of a stir in Vegas room rates. I'm compiling a few pointers/web sites etc. for him to check out. I'm figuring he'll arrive Friday and leave Monday or Tuesday so flights should be OK. It is cheaper for him to take SW out of Baltimore than it is for a slightly closer Philadelphia. BWI has more SW flights.

 

Looks like he is running the Las Vegas Rock and Roll Marathon. Their web site says that the race starts at Mandalay Bay and finishes by Mandalay Bay. More than likely many of the runners will be staying on the strip or near the strip and while many will also stay downtown it shouldn't be a problem to find rooms downtown if you book early.

I would recommend booking as soon as he can to get a guaranteed room. Then check the web sites regularly to see if rates drop and rebook at the lower rate if it goes down.


By the way, they reported that 177k people attended the 2017 CES show in January. While I didn't attend I did book downtown (Main St. Station) 5 months in advance and got rates under $50 a night in the event that I did go. But as the months got closer room rates went up and up and by January it wasn't easy finding rooms for under $100 a night.

 

You'll be fine. Yes 50K is a large number but you're 8 months ahead of things and looking to book downtown. I'm planning an April trip that goes into NAB convention week. Thought that might cause problems but luckily managed to snag GN for $46/night Sat-Wed

 

We've ran the Las Vegas Marathon several times since 2000 (both before and after the Competitor group took over and it became the Las Vegas Rock-n-Roll Marathon). The race sponsors generally arrange group discounts on rooms at one or more hotels in the vicinity of the start/finish lines. Most runners choose to stay near the finish line of the race. Since this year the race start and finish is near Mandalay Bay (at the opposite end of the Strip from Downtown) your friend should book early to ensure he has a room at his desired hotel. However I think the risk of Four Queens being sold out is lower than if he wanted to stay at Excalibur or Luxor (two less expensive hotels located within an easy walking distance to the start/finish lines).

 

When I ran, I stayed at Excalibur. No issues on rooms at all (with respect to availability or price), and I didn't see a whole lot of other runners staying at the hotel either. It's a fantastic race, by the way. At least the first half of it and the end are fantastic. Most of the back half is just a random path through northwest Vegas

 

Don't sweat it. For one thing, there won't be 50K runners. That is the marathon organizers hyping the event.
The weekend of the marathon is one of the slowest of the year in Vegas - that is the reason it is held at that time and the Strip is shut down.
Your worries about scoring a room are unfounded. I've been there twice for it and never had a problem.

 

Four of us booked about 6 weeks or 8 weeks out - all staying at Flamingo. No problem. We worked the finish line & it was a blast!