The American Hotel Chain Wooing Canadians Back

I was born and raised in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, just across the Detroit River from Windsor. Crossing the border was just part of everyday life for me. My dad was Canadian, so we had friends and family scattered all over southern Ontario, and I grew up making regular trips to Toronto and smaller cities like London and Brantford. To me, a kid from Windsor wasn’t any different from a kid from Detroit, Sterling Heights or Ann Arbor. Our cultures and values felt the same, and the border never felt like much of a barrier.

One of my favourite childhood memories is going to Detroit Red Wings home games at Joe Louis Arena. When the Red Wings hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs, plenty of Canadian fans came to town. I’d walk around the arena and see restaurants, bars and hotels with little signs showing a Canadian flag beside an American flag with an equal sign between them. Sometimes the signs read, “One Canadian dollar equals one American dollar.” Offering at-par currency deals was a simple way for local businesses to encourage Canadians to come in, especially when the exchange rate wasn’t favourable. That idea always stuck with me.

In 2006, I acquired the Golden Gate Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Five years later, I bought my second property, the D Las Vegas. Then I built Circa, my flagship hotel and venue, from the ground up. It opened it 2020. Canada has long been the top international market for Las Vegas, and over the last two decades, many of my visitors have come from there. But in the past year, fewer Canadians came—not just to Las Vegas, but to the whole U.S.

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Over the course of 2025, four million fewer Canadian travellers visited the U.S. than in the year before— a 22 per cent decrease. The trend shows no sign of slowing down: in January of 2026, the number of Canadians taking road trips into the U.S. dropped by 27 per cent compared with the same month last year, while air travel declined by 18 per cent. Altogether, that amounts to an economic hit of roughly US$4.5 billion. In Las Vegas specifically, Canadian tourism fell by 25 per cent between April and July of last year, accounting for a loss of US$535 million in revenue. In some months last year, Canadian visitors were down by as much as half at my own hotels.

There are a few reasons for that. The lopsided exchange rate has been a big factor. When the U.S. dollar strengthens, international travel to the country becomes more expensive, and tourism softens. But politics has obviously also played a role. President Trump’s comments about Canada becoming the 51st state, the tariffs devastating Canadian industries, even reports of meetings between Alberta separatists and the president’s administration have all rubbed Canadians the wrong way. When you combine economic pressure with political tension, it’s not surprising that many of our northern neighbours decide to stay home or travel somewhere else.

That’s when I started thinking back to my childhood in Detroit and the businesses offering at-par deals for Canadians after Red Wings games. I realized it was time to bring that idea back. My goal was simple. I wanted Canadians to know they were welcome in the U.S., particularly in Las Vegas.

I decided that if Canadians booked a room at one of my hotels, my staff would accept Canadian dollars at par. I also designated a bar at each property that would do the same. And for guests who wanted to gamble, I offered US$500 in gaming credit for $500 Canadian.

When I was working out the at-par promotion, a lot of people in the casino industry asked me the same question: “How can you afford to take that kind of loss on the exchange rate?” My answer is that, as a businessperson, I made a bet. And my bet was on Canadians.

I’ve spent plenty of nights over the years drinking and socializing with Canadians. I know what they’re like. If you treat them with respect and give them a good deal, they’ll appreciate it. Maybe they’d save a little on a hotel room or at the bar. But Canadians are fun-loving people. My hunch was that if we got them into the casino, they’d stay longer. They’d grab dinner, see a show, maybe gamble a bit more. In other words, they’d make a full night of it. In that sense, it’s like a loss leader. Retailers do it all the time. Costco famously sells things like hot dogs or rotisserie chickens at rock-bottom prices to bring people into the store, knowing they’ll spend money elsewhere. I also knew Las Vegas has something Canadians can’t always count on at home: sunshine. It’s a pretty attractive escape during the long winter.

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I launched the at-par promotion in the last week of January, with plans to run it through the end of August. We’re only about six weeks in, but my bet has already paid off. In the first month alone, we had about 15,000 Canadians check in across my three properties and booked 2,700 hotel room nights—that’s more than three times what we’d typically expect. Yes, we’re offering a discount on hotel rooms and at some of our bars. But Canadians are more than making up for that by spending more time at my properties—eating at the restaurants, playing in the casinos, enjoying the entertainment.

From the majority of Canadians I’ve spoken with—both longtime guests and first-time visitors—the feedback has been very encouraging. One of the bars where I’m running the promotion is called the Overhang, and on some nights it feels like everyone there is Canadian. I’ll be sitting there, and before long someone will come up and introduce themselves and tell me how much they appreciate the promotion. They come from Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba. Word has spread quickly. Every day we’re seeing more reservations come in.

It’s still too early to say whether I’ll continue the promotion past August. One big factor will be the exchange rate. If the Canadian dollar shifts dramatically over the next few months, that could affect whether I’m able to sustain this kind of discount. If I do extend it, the main reason would have less to do with business and more to do with the relationship between our two countries. Governments go through periods of tension, but Canada has always been America’s closest friend. I grew up watching that firsthand. If this promotion helps remind Canadians of the powerful bond between our two countries, it’s worth it.

Derek Stevens is the the CEO and owner of Circa Resort and Casino, the Golden Gate Hotel and Casino, and The D Las Vegas.