Las Vegas Hotel Owners Take U-Turn as Once “Upsetting” F1 Race Earns Them Millions

From its initial announcement to the day after the race, the 2023 Las Vegas GP has given everyone associated with and affected by it a host of varying emotions. The much-celebrated race weekend at the announcement became a source of everyone’s misery as preparations took over the entire city. However, after the main event, the perspective toward the Las Vegas GP has completely changed.

The race weekend brought in a massive boom to the Sin City’s economy. Additionally, the hotel owners were threatened with blocked views and $1500 per head licensing fees, because of which the sport received more criticism. However, all this criticism has taken a U-turn.

What helped change the perspective of the hotel owners toward the 2023 Las Vegas GP

What do hotel owners like more than anything? A full crowd and that is exactly what they got during the Las Vegas GP weekend. In a month when Vegas hotels were relatively empty, all the hotels in and around the circuit were packed. We don’t have the data yet but as reported by Review Journal, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority President and CEO Steve Hill‘s statement told us the hotels loved the circus.

“The upside of this I thought was clear from the beginning, and that’s what we experienced over the last number of days,” Hill said on Sunday. “It’s going to be a record weekend for Las Vegas from an economic standpoint. It’s going to generate a lot of tax revenue and properties around the circuit did exceptionally well.”

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Although we won’t get the exact figures until the end of the month. Although Wynn Hotel gave us some insight which does prove the Las Vegas GP was a massive boost for Sin City. However, let’s look at what upset the hotel owners in the first place as well.

Let’s look at the threats that were given to the venue owners around the Las Vegas Street Circuit

During the preparation for the race weekend, there were a lot of aspects that were getting on the nerves of the locals. Among many was the F1 owners’ demand from hotels and restaurants around the circuit, who have a clear line of sight of the track to pay a fee. A fee of $1500 per head for viewing rights could amount to $2.25 million for a place that can house 1500 people. This unbelievable ask was a source of a lot of controversy among the hoteliers and restaurants.

One annoyed Casino owner on the Strip also made a fiery statement to the NY Post. “They are literally shaking people down saying they will obstruct views unless they pay them,” they said. “It seems insane that they are asking money for a public event that is taking place in the streets.”

WATCH THIS STORY: Rich History of F1 races in Las Vegas Throughout the Years

Well, all’s well that ends well, right? Perhaps the same casino owner will look forward to seeing the circus back in town next year.