Hi ST
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays
I have a quick question for those who have stayed in Vegas for the 70.3 Champs
For athletes:
1)where did you stay?
2)how much earlier did you go?
3)how much did it cost?
Any info will be much appreciated
Thanks
Ryan
I stayed 10 minutes from the site on the highway going up from Vegas to the race venue. It was a casino with all I needed, a nice room, breakfast, coffemaker, for 2 or 3 days prior. Then a couple of days on the strip after. There are great deals, as I spent $48/night on the strip at the Aladdin, and 45-48 at the other place. Vegas can be very inexpensive, which is one reason I love the race.
Stayed with our niece for the race but a few weeks ago I stayed at the Springhill Suites in Henderson. Nice hotel, price was really good ($89.00) and its about 1.5 miles east of T2 just off the interstate on Paeso Verde. There are a couple of other Marriotts right there, Springhill Suites I think it was. The Green Valley Ranch/Casino is probably the closet to T2, grocery stores like Frys and Whole Foods, and shops. T1 has nice hotels/casino but nothing else is out there.
We drove out to T1 in the morning, plenty of parking. I wasn’t racing so I could take the car back to T2 to watch my wife run but they have shuttles back to T1 if you need to get your car after the race.
I think we arrived two days before the race but we are use to a dry heat and left the day after the race.
+1 Green Valley Resort in Henderson.
We stayed at the Montelago Village Resort right at the swim start and T1. Worked out well. We stayed in a very nice and well furnished apartment that we booked directly with the owner via VRBO. Think it was about $150 per night. We arrived 2 days before the race and got a red eye to New York straight after the race. Wouldn’t recommend the early departure but we had no choice.
I guess I should have stated I will more than likely be flying in (live in Toronto, Canada)
So something close to the race would be best.
Did any of you do training rides or runs?
I am thinking heading out there 4 days before (granted school/budget lets me)
Would like to get in a least one ride to feel the heat.
i would stay close to the race finish rather than the race start. there are tons of places, hotels and condos.
It was very easy to drive to the swim start for practice the day before and to be dropped off the morning of the race. getting back after the race was a pain in the butt.
+1 Green Valley Resort in Henderson.
Looks great, but the prices I checked were quite expensive. I have a (fully cancellable) reservation at the Springhill in Henderson. Its a bit more reasonable, but I’m still looking around.
My wife and I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express in Henderson. We arrived a couple of days before the race. I don’t recall the exact rate, but it was somewhere around $120 a night. If I ever make it back to Vegas, that’s where I’d likely stay again. It was about half way in between T1 and T2, and it wasn’t too far from food or the freeway.
Like others mentioned, I would stay in Henderson if it is an A race that you are trying to place well in. If going for the experience, I would stay on the Strip. I stayed on the Strip which allowed me to make a vacation out of it but didn’t set me up for a great race.
In terms of flying in, rent a car. We got one for $12 a day. It is worth it and will give you a lot more options.
i used the Ken Glah Endurance Sports Travel. It worked out pretty well, they pick you up at the airport, you have free bike mechanic support at the host hotel, and they have free shuttles to and from the finish all during the weekend festivities. It was a bit of a premium over just the cost of the hotel, but i think not having to rent a car and a bike mechanic at your disposal (i used him ) was worth it. i arrived way too late and wasn’t able to take advantage of some of the other things included in the package. I would at least check out his website and consider it.
I’d second what others have recommended about staying in Henderson. If you pick a hotel near or east of T2 (Henderson Multigen Center) you’ll have easy access to Warm Springs Road which is one the 70.3 bike course. You can also bike to and from the Multigen from your hotel for swimming, race signup and the expo. We stayed at the Homewood Suites in 2011 and the Best Western in 2012 with low rates through Hotwire. Since you mention being in school - both hotels included daily breakfast and the rooms had a kitchenette with a full size fridge. The Homewood actually included nightly dinner in the room cost and the offerings weren’t bad.
The Green Valley Resort is your closest hotel option to T2. But they are expensive. Their advertised rate typically doesn’t highlight that they charge a resort fee in addition to the room rate. If your dates might change towards a shorter trip I would not recommend them as getting any refund from them requires going through your credit card agency.
There isn’t much going on at the resorts out at T1. Though this location provides easy access to the Lake Mead segment of the bike course and would make race morning easier.
Hope this helps!
haha i’ve not done the race, but last few times in vegas didn’t pay anything for a room…just get an m life card 
i’ll be there this year. i can’t imagine thinking about it now though.
Do you have a preference on being close to T1 or T2?
I stayed at the Fiesta in Henderson, fairly close to T2. Less than 10 minutes driving. And it was <$60 a night. There is a Casino on the main floor, but no issues with it. There is a back door that goes right to the elevators basically skipping by it. Has a few restaurants in-house and a buffet.
I’ve talked some friends into going out there with me and they are planning on celebrating the start of the NFL season and were wanting to stay on the strip. Who did you use for your rental car? When you got around Henderson was there plenty of parking to check in and for race day?
I will say it was great being at the casinos for the opening week of football. As for rental car, I used Payless Car rental. I will mention that you should be prepared for them to try and up sale you on just about everything when you check-in. My first quote when I showed up was 4x (no joke) more then what my reservation was. I had to have them redo (removing misc charges, etc.) my quote 3x before we got to the original price. I say this because if you can find a similar price with Avis or someone like that, I would choose them over Payless.
In terms of Henderson, parking is very limited. There is a small parking lot at T2 which I happened to luck out and find a spot in each time I needed to be there. The parking at the Whole Foods next store gets pretty crowded as well. On race day, my wife and friend were able to find parking after leaving T1 post -swim but it was a decent ways away.
I would second the Montelago Village Resort right next to Lake Las Vegas. I have stayed there several times just booking through the hotel. It has a very relaxed atmosphere and a village area with lots of places to eat. Many of the rooms also have small kitchens so you can cook your own food. I would try and get food on your way up to the place however because the last time I was there the only grocery store in the village had closed and it is a 10 or 15 minute drive down the highway to the closest place to get non-fast food food. It is also located right next to the entrance to Lake Mead Recreation Area so going on rides is really easy. I have stayed there twice before different races and it worked out perfectly. Might not be the cheapest option but it isn’t the most expensive either. After my last time staying there I actually thought about trying to get some people together and go there for a training camp because it seems like such a perfect place for it.