MITCHELL MCCLUNG
The resounding message to Canadians in Las Vegas is that the city loves Canadians and they want to make their city even more welcoming. Canada has long been the number one international source market country to Sin City, and Las Vegas and its local institutions want to make sure that they continue to offer Canadians a high amount of value for their travel dollar while rolling out the red carpet to their northern cousins.
Leading the pack in extending the best travel experience with the highest value to Canadian visitors is Circa Resort & Casino. This adults-only property (ages 21+) offers a legendary Sin City experience and ran a unique Canadian summer promotion of cash at par to Canadian visitors holding valid government issued identification, allowing visitors to pay for rooms, certain experiences and food and beverage at selected outlets.
Circa’s location makes it unique in the world of Las Vegas resorts, located on Fremont Street, offering visitors a different experience away from the Strip. A destination in itself, Circa offers eleven unique food and beverage outlets, with the crown jewel of Barry’s Downtown Prime Steaks Cocktails leading the way. Conceived by celebrity chef Barry Dukake, this best-in-class steak house combines vintage glamour and hospitality with modern innovation and design. The menu highlights include a chilled shellfish platter, the “Real” Garbage Salad and a hall of fame worthy New York Strip Steak of Tasmanian Wagyu from Robbins Island, one of the most coveted steaks available.
Circa’s Stadium Swim reflects its positioning as the top adults only resort in the city. The Stadium Swim features six swimming pools on three different levels offering incredible views of sporting events on their 40-foot-high HD screen, providing an incomparable setting to watching the biggest sporting events. In addition to its 200 chaise lounges, 32 stadium booths and 32 day beds, those looking for a more curated, luxury viewing can reserve on of the 28 cabanas, eight water couches, four poolside boxes or the ultimate flex, one of the two owner’s suites. Stadium Swim is open 365 days a year and whether it is US Thanksgiving NFL games, Christmas Day NBA or NFL games or college football games on New Year Eve, visitors can always enjoy the poolside action and fun.
No Las Vegas sports viewing party would be complete without laying a few wagers on the game, and Circa’s three-storey Sports Book provides the ultimate venue when not enjoying the viewing party at the Stadium Swim. The proprietary Circa Sports App gives fans easy access to odds and bets with a customized wagering user interface that was designed “By players for players” that enhances the sports betting experience that is unrivalled in the whole city.
While Circa can be a self-contained experience that could keep its visitors busy for their entire stay, Fremont Street offers a perfect distraction for something different until the next visit to the Stadium Swim or another meal at Circa’s notable food and beverage outlets.
Fremont Street was the first paved street in Vegas and had the first stop light and telephone in the city. For many, it is a nod to the city’s past with its classic vibe and attractions. Today, Fremont Street’s pedestrian mall is covered by a 90-foot-high LED canopy running a music-synced, colourful light show every night. The pedestrian mall is replete with street performers and open-air stages with daily concerts and offers fun shopping and casinos with lower minimums at the tables, making it a popular way to make a visit affordable while still providing the thrill of a casino experience. Circa’s sister properties, The D Las Vegas or the Golden Gate Hotel & Casino offer the same warm welcome to Canadians while providing a contrasting vibe. The D is a high energy, retro-modern resort and the Golden Gate is the oldest hotel in Sin City, having opened originally in 1906.
Notably, Circa Resort & Casino, the D Las Vegas and Golden Gate Hotel & Casino found major success in their “At Par” promotion, which delivered a significant boost in Canadian tourism. By treating $1 CAD as $1 USD, the offer welcomed more than 120,000 Canadian visitors, driving an 80 percent increase in Canadian visitation, more than $20 million in slot coin-in and over 8,000 hotel room nights. The promotion ran from January through to August.
“Canadian travellers have always been an important part of downtown Las Vegas, and At Par reinforced just how strong that connection is,” shared CEO Derek Stevens. “We created the offer to deliver meaningful value while encouraging guests to experience everything our properties and the surrounding destination have to offer. The response exceeded our expectations and showed that the right combination of value, flexibility and a uniquely downtown experience can have a tremendous impact.”
Being Las Vegas, Fremont Street has some interesting and unusual attractions, from the adventurous to the occasionally bizarre. The SlotZilla Zipline is the ultimate Fremont Street adrenaline rush, which sends riders on two possible permutations. The Zip Line is a seated ride 77 feet in the air for three blocks of Fremont Street, but the Zoom Line is the ultimate thrill, soaring those daring enough to try superhero style, belly down-head up 11 stories in the air for five blocks of Fremont Street.
The Downtown Container Park offers an interesting food court and shopping experience on Fremont Street. Made from reclaimed shipping containers, visitor can enjoy boutique retail shops and restaurants, and the entrance the container park is guarded by a thirty-foot-tall metal praying mantis that shoots actual fire out of its mouth at night.
Vegas excess and fun rolled up in one. Flying to Vegas for Canadians has never been easier, with Air Canada, WestJet and Porter offering travellers excellent year-round and season specific direct routes servicing Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. Travellers will enjoy the ease of travel, the warm welcome and unforgettable experiences at Circa and Fremont Street and perhaps even add the sin into Sin City.
