By the third day of F1, Las Vegas finally decided to stop testing us.
After two nights of freezing temperatures, endless walking, confused crowds, and weather that felt borderline personal, race day arrived with an unfamiliar luxury: a plan. No frantic dashes. No rain warnings. Just a scheduled noon interview at Elara, and the rare feeling that the day might actually cooperate.
The interview took place on the very top floor of the hotel. Seeing the Strip in daylight was almost disorienting after navigating it at night like a survival exercise. From up there, everything looked calmer, more organized, and slightly misleading…but I’ll take the win.
We were there to speak with Forbes about Formula 1 in Las Vegas and how Hilton Grand Vacations fits into the experience. The conversation quickly landed on what had been obvious all weekend: Las Vegas is not built like a traditional F1 city. The distances are long, getting around is complicated, and if you don’t plan carefully, you’ll spend more time walking and shivering than actually watching cars.
The idea behind Hilton Grand Vacations’ approach is refreshingly simple… give people a place to land. Somewhere warm, structured, and close enough to the action that you don’t feel like you’re earning a badge in endurance sports just to watch a race. After the first two nights, this concept felt less like marketing and more like common sense.
Once the interview wrapped, we picked up our wristbands for access to the Elara Terrace. During race week, the terrace and pool area are transformed into an F1 viewing space connected to the HGV Clubhouse. Big screens, food, drinks, live music, places to sit, all things that sound basic until you’ve spent hours outside questioning your life choices.
Then came the surprise.
After the interview, Christopher, Senior Manager of Corporate Communications, and Lauren, Vice President of Corporate Communications, handed us badges for trackside access at the HGV Clubhouse. It was completely unexpected and immediately raised the tone of the day from “this is better” to “SHUT UP… REALLY?“
Watching the race from there was an entirely different experience. The cars were close enough to feel, the sound was intense in the best way, and the atmosphere felt exciting instead of exhausting. No ponchos. No numb fingers. No soggy dinner in middle of freezing rain. Just people actually enjoying the race with some good food and comfortable seating, a concept that felt revolutionary by this point in the weekend.
By the third night, Las Vegas finally showed us what the Grand Prix could be when done right. After two nights of learning everything the hard way, this felt like redemption. Sometimes it’s not about trying harder, it’s about standing in the right place with the right badge!
Enjoy the video clip below at Elara Terrace showing end of race celebration following the win by Max Verstappen of Red Bull!
All Around The World 