These days, value has been the main topic of any conversation regarding why people might not be coming to Las Vegas like they used to. From the high-quality dining and star-studded entertainment on the Strip to the neon lights and high energy of Fremont Street, there is always a reason to visit, and even in one trip it can be hard to see everything this city has to offer. Locals can all agree that downtown is the place to go to get the most “bang for your buck,” and Derek Stevens, Owner/CEO of Circa Resort & Casino, decided at the start of this year it was time to offer something a little different than other properties.
Growing up in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, just across the river from Canada, Stevens has many fond memories of visiting many places there and wanted to extend an invitation to welcome Canadians back to Las Vegas. In January, Stevens announced a promotion of “Vegas At Par” where $1 CAD was treated as $1 USD. Guests had the opportunity to book rooms at any of his three properties, the D Las Vegas, Circa Resort & Casino, or Golden Gate, at the At Par rate. This alone saw 8,000 hotel room nights booked during the 8-month-long promotion. In a video posted by Circa’s social media team, Stevens mentioned that there were nights on Fremont Street during this promotion where it felt like it was all Canadians, which makes sense since Vegas At Par welcomed over 120,000 Canadians. Guest numbers for these properties saw an 80% increase over last year, according to Stevens.
Another component of Vegas At Par was guests being able to redeem up to $500 CAD in slot play. This led to a coin-in of over $20 million. All that was needed to redeem this, and any other part of the At Par offers, was a valid Canadian passport or government-issued ID. We heard a few guests really hit it big, utilizing this.
Vegas At Par also extended to three bars across Stevens’ properties, where guests were able to purchase beverages At Par multiple times during their stay. Alongside this, Stevens even hosted a free open bar watch party at BarCanada at the D during the Canada vs Morocco World Cup match. He really knew how to cater to his audience and guests for this promotion.
As if getting to experience these three properties in all of their glory wasn’t enough, we heard that Stevens and his team also extended a free meet-and-greet with Canadian rock band Finger Eleven to all At Par guests who were in town the weekend the band played as part of Fremont Street’s Downtown Rocks free concert series. Guests had the chance to meet the band as well as hang out at BarCanada with the whole Circa team after hearing their set live from the VIP box. Talk about a rocking vacation.
While some might argue Vegas isn’t what it used to be, one thing is clear: Derek Stevens is working every day to change that and continues to show why Circa should be the go-to for anyone’s next trip to Sin City.
